The clinical research project proposed by Dr. Giulio Conte, registered cardiologist at Cardiocentro Ticino, has obtained an important award by the Swiss National Science Foundation (“Ambizione Programme”).
The 4-year project has been granted with CHF 1 million and it will be conducted by the Electrophysiology Unit at Cardiocentro, directed by Prof. Angelo Auricchio, in collaboration with the Center of Computational Medicine in Cardiology at the Università della Svizzera Italiana, with Bern University and Brussels University as international partners.
Prof. Auricchio underlines that the “Ambizione programme” of the Swiss National Science Foundation is specifically addressed to very talented early career researchers willing to start an academic career.
The Ambizione program is competitive, only 20 -25% of the projects are financially supported and it represents a great prestige both for the researchers and their institutes.
My project, explains dr. Conte, focuses on genetic cardiac electrical disorders, in particular on Brugada syndrome. The study consists of the activation of a dedicated clinic with specific care to genetic consultancy for the family members of patients. The hereditary cardiac diseases are called “rare illnesses” but their true prevalence is definitely underestimated. For this reason, one of the most valuable aspects of the project is its impact on territorial epidemiology.
The aim, goes on Dr. Conte, is to improve the management of these electrical disorders, and to provide a more personalized and patient-specific treatment of these patients.
For this reason, within the Center for Computational Medicine in Cardiology at the Università della Svizzera italiana, a strong impulse will be given for the development of a personalized cardiac 3D modeling approach in order to improve the knowledge of the electric anomalies that affect the heart of the patients. My personal goal with this project, as clinical cardiologist, is to offer the best clinical strategy to the treatment of arrhythmias to patients suffering from hereditary electric disorders.
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Dr. med. Giulio Conte
Registered cardiologist at the Electrophysiology Unit at Cardiocentro Ticino, dr. Conte (Italian, born in Galatina, Apulia, in 1981), has graduated in Medicine at University of Parma in 2006 and in 2011 he obtained his diploma in Cardiology.
His interest for electrophysiology develops through four important steps: the electrophysiologic training in Barcelona under the supervision of Prof. Brugada, the University Magister in Electrophysiology in San Pablo University of Madrid, the Fellowship for clinical electrophysiology with emphasis on catheter ablation of the Heart Rhythm Management Centre-Free at the University of Brussels, Belgium and the PhD degree in Medical Sciences at Free University of Brussels, Belgium. Dr. Conte, regardless his young age, has published more than 90 scientific articles.
