# PET/MR Mapping of Myocardial Membrane Potential

> **NIH NIH R01** · MASSACHUSETTS GENERAL HOSPITAL · 2020 · $802,603

## Abstract

The current state-of-the-art technique for ventricular tachycardia (VT) ablation utilizes
electroanatomic mapping (EAM) and site-specific electrograms to guide delivery of ablation
lesions. Although EAM can assist in distinguishing viable tissue from scar in infarcted areas,
it does not represent a true gold standard for differentiating scar from viable or healthy
myocardium. The limitations of EAM are reflected in the frequent recurrences (~30%) of VT
after ablation. The basic insight of this proposal is that 3D imaging of mitochondrial
membrane potential (MP) and the size of the extracellular space (ECS) provides a more
comprehensive assessment of the arrhythmogenic substrate than EAM. We propose
PET/MRI to map both mitochondrial MP and ECS for use in the detection of left ventricular
(LV) scar. Our approach provides a full 3D map of myocardial membrane potential, in
contrast to the 1-2mm depth beneath the endo- and epicardial surfaces afforded by EAM.
The method is noninvasive and well suited to clinical translation for study of a variety of
diseases, including ventricular arrhythmias, cardiomyopathy, hypertrophy, skeletal muscle
disorders, etc.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9956611
- **Project number:** 5R01HL137230-04
- **Recipient organization:** MASSACHUSETTS GENERAL HOSPITAL
- **Principal Investigator:** Georges El Fakhri
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $802,603
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2017-09-01 → 2023-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9956611

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9956611, PET/MR Mapping of Myocardial Membrane Potential (5R01HL137230-04). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-26 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9956611. Licensed CC0.

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