Technicolour map of heart signals wins national science image competition

We have today announced the winner of our annual Reflections of Research science image competition. Showcasing the dazzling side of science, the competition asks BHF-funded scientists to highlight their cutting-edge heart and circulatory disease research with the most awe-inspiring picture taken as part of their work.

Judges' Winner: Paths of the heart by Dr Marina Strocchi, King's College London

'Paths of the heart' wowed the judges and took home the top prize. Entered by BHF-funded researcher Dr Marina Strocchi, it was taken as part of her work at King's College London that is now being continued at Imperial College London.

The multicoloured structure, generated by a computer model, is a map of bundles of cells that together make up the heart muscle. These bundles, each shown by a separate line, transmit the electrical signal that causes the heart to beat. The direction each line is pointing indicates the direction the electrical signal travels.

The signal starts in the two top chambers of the heart (the atria) and moves to the bottom two (the ventricles). By accurately modelling the heartbeat signal as it passes through the heart, Marina can simulate how an individual patient's heart works, to better predict how they will respond to different treatments.

Dr Marina Strocchi said:"I am thrilled that my entry was chosen by the judges as this year's winner. It is great to be able to share the beautiful side of my research.

"In our research, computer models help doctors understand so much more about diseases of the heart. By simulating how electrical activity spreads through the heart, following the direction shown in the picture, to then to trigger a heartbeat, we can predict how specific patients will respond to treatments to personalise and adjust how we care for them."

Supporters' Favourite: Seeing through the heart by Judy Sayers, University of Oxford

'Seeing through the heart', the image that captivated our supporters, was submitted by PhD student Judy Sayers. Fantastic bursts of light in this image highlight blood vessels around the outside of the heart and areas of the electrical system at its centre. Judy has made the heart transparent in the lab, exposing an explosion of activity in its electrical system that organises the heart's rhythmic contraction to form a heartbeat.

It is this system that is visible as the tangle of fibres in the middle of the image. The two larger glowing areas are the atria - the top two chambers of the heart - and the branch around the outside on the left of the image is a coronary artery, which supplies blood to the heart muscle.

Judy Sayers said:"I am delighted to have been recognised by the BHF's supporters and it means a lot to be able to share with them the visual outputs of my research.

"Using chemical modification to make the heart transparent, we are able to view the heart's dedicated electrical system in 3D without disturbing the anatomy by cutting the organ. This allows us to investigate how and why this system can fail in people with heart rhythm conditions. I hope that this research will lead to new therapeutic avenues for the treatment of these conditions."

Revealing the stunning side of research

Franki Goodwin, Chief Creative Officer at Saatchi & Saatchi and Executive Producer of Western Edge Pictures, was this year's guest judge. She said:

"Every image that was shortlisted in this year's competition illustrates cutting-edge work BHF scientists are doing every day to treat heart and circulatory diseases. It was great to get an insight into this as we picked a winner from a brilliant collection.

"I really couldn't believe 'Paths of the heart' was an organically drawn image when I first saw it. It's an incredible fusion of digital and natural shape and colour. These elements build an image that feels like it's in motion before our eyes. 'Seeing through the heart' is also an incredible way to view the heart, with Judy's work illuminating it in a way that is really mesmerising."

Dr Charmaine Griffiths, our Chief Executive, was also a competition judge. She said:

"Seeing the entries and winners of Reflections of Research is a pleasure. It's fantastic to see cutting edge research powered by our supporters brought to life in such beautiful, striking images.

"The winning image captures the complex system that powers each of our heartbeats so perfectly. Marina's work to personalise people's heart care is at the forefront of medicine and could make a life-changing difference for doctors and patients in the future."

See previous winners here

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