Today, we announced the winners of our annual scientific imagery contest, Reflections of Research. Showcasing the dazzling side of science, this competition challenges BHF-funded scientists to explore the latest advances in heart and circulatory disease using the most awe-inspiring photographs taken as part of their research. We ask you to highlight your research.

Jury award winners: The path of Dr. Ma’s heartLina Strocchi, King’s College London

“Paths of the heart” surprised the judges and took home the top prize. This project was adopted by BHF-funded researcher Dr Marina Strocchi as part of her research at King’s College London and is currently continuing at Imperial College London.

The multicolored structure generated by the computer model is a map of the bundles of cells that make up the heart muscle. Each of these bundles, shown as a separate line, carries the electrical signals that make the heart beat. The direction each line points indicates the direction in which electrical signals travel.

The signal begins in the top two chambers of the heart (the atria) and travels to the bottom two chambers (the ventricles). By accurately modeling the heartbeat signal as it passes through the heart, Marina can simulate how an individual patient’s heart works and more accurately predict a patient’s response to various treatments.

Dr. Marina Strocchi said: “I am thrilled that my work has been selected by the jury as this year’s winner. It is great to be able to share the wonderful aspects of my research.

“In our research, computer models help doctors better understand heart diseases. We simulate how electrical activity spreads within the heart and causes heartbeats according to the directions shown in the photo. This allows us to predict how a particular patient will respond to treatment and personalize and tailor how we care for them.”

Supporter Favorites: Seeing Through the Heart by Judy Sayers, University of Oxford

The image that captivated our supporters, ‘Seeing through the heart’, was submitted by PhD student Judy Sayers. This image’s fantastic bursts of light highlight areas of the heart’s outer blood vessels and central electrical system. Judy made the heart transparent in her lab, exposing bursts of activity in the electrical system that orchestrates the heart’s rhythmic contractions to form a heartbeat.

This system is visible as a tangle of fibers in the center of the image. The two large glowing areas are the atria (the top two chambers of the heart), and the outer branches on the left side of the image are the coronary arteries that supply blood to the heart muscle.

Judy Sayers said: “I am delighted to be recognized by the BHF supporters and it means a lot to me to be able to share the visual fruits of my research with them.

“By using chemical modifications to make the heart transparent, we can now view the heart’s specialized electrical systems in 3D without cutting through the organ and disrupting its anatomy. We will be able to investigate how and why this system fails in people with these problems. We hope this research will lead to new treatments to treat these conditions.”

Reveal surprising aspects of research

This year’s guest judge was Franki Goodwin, Chief Creative Officer of Saatchi & Saatchi and Executive Producer of Western Edge Pictures. she said:

“All of the shortlisted images in this year’s competition demonstrate the cutting-edge research that BHF scientists carry out every day to treat heart and circulatory diseases. Winners from an impressive collection I chose , so I was very happy to get some insight into this.

“When I first saw it, I couldn’t believe that The Path of the Heart was an organic painting. It’s an amazing fusion of digital and natural shapes and colors. Images are constructed that appear to be in motion. ‘Seeing through the mind’ is also a great way to observe the mind, and Judy’s work illuminates the mind in a truly mesmerizing way. ”

Our Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Charmaine Griffiths, was also a judge for the competition. she said:

“It’s so much fun to see the submissions and winners for Reflections of Research. It’s great to see the cutting-edge research supported by our supporters brought to life in such beautiful and striking images. is.

“The winning image perfectly captures the complex system that drives each of our heartbeats. Marina’s efforts to personalize people’s heart care are at the forefront of medicine and will help doctors and patients in the future. It can lead to life-changing changes.”

See past award winners here