Research associate Flavio H. Fenton and Robert F. Gilmour Jr., professor and associate dean for research and graduate education, both from Cornell's College of Veterinary Medicine, have teamed with three researchers at Stony Brook University to investigate atrial fibrillation, the most common form of heart rhythm disturbance.

They are part of a 19-investigator team that was awarded $10 million over five years under the prestigious Expeditions in Computing program of the National Science Foundation.

Across the world, 30 percent of all deaths are attributed to cardiovascular disease. Every 37 seconds an American dies from heart failure, and the World Health Organization predicts 11.1 million deaths from coronary heart disease in 2020.

"Atrial fibrillation contributes to congestive heart disease and is responsible for 15 to 20 percent of all strokes," said Fenton, who is the lead investigator at Cornell. "Moreover, its incidence increases with age. As life expectancy grows, so too does the number of people affected by this condition."

With their $500,000 part of the grant, Fenton and Gilmour will help develop novel computational models of cardiac cells that will allow physicians to better understand the mechanisms responsible for the onset and maintenance of atrial fibrillation and other disturbances of the electrical activity of the heart.

The research team will combine model checking and abstract interpretation (MCAI), two methods that have been successful in finding errors in computer circuitry and software, and extend MCAI so it can provide insights into models of complex systems, whether they are biological or electronic.