Professor Song Zhen from Peng Cheng Laboratory was invited to Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology for academic exchanges on November 18, 2020, and delivered an academic report titled "Multidisciplinary Intersection Strategies Promote the Development of Cardiology - Exploration and Practice of the Mechanisms of Arrhythmia and the Development of Therapeutic Methods through the Construction of Multiscale Cardiac Mathematical Models". In the report, Professor Song Zhen shared with the audience the key breakthroughs and progress achieved by his research group in the field of cardiac electrophysiology research through the interdisciplinary approach involving mathematics, physics, physiology, medicine, and other disciplines. Through mathematical modeling and simulation methods, it is possible to accurately analyze the changes in ion channels of individual cardiomyocytes at the microscopic scale and the induced discharge process. On this basis, through the multi-cell cascade model, it is possible to further simulate the electrophysiological activities and potential transmission processes of the entire heart at the macroscopic scale, which is of great value for studying the pathogenesis of heart diseases and detecting the cardiac toxicity of general drugs. At the same time, in the report, Professor Song also further looked ahead to the potential value of his research work in the fields of clinical application and transformation, as well as the research and development of drugs for heart diseases.

Dr. Song Zhen communicated with the teachers and students of Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology

Personal Profiles:

Dr. Song Zhen is currently an Associate Researcher at the Virtual Reality Academician's Studio of Peng Cheng Laboratory. Dr. Song Zhen graduated from the Department of Modern Physics, University of Science and Technology of China with a bachelor's degree. Later, he went to Northeastern University in the United States to pursue a Ph.D. in Physics under the supervision of the renowned theoretical physicist Professor Alain Karma. During his Ph.D. studies, he received funding from the American Heart Association Predoctoral Fellowship. His main work focused on studying the mechanisms of calcium-mediated arrhythmias in cardiac cells through computer modeling combined with mathematical and physical theories. This work was published in the top international journal PNAS.

After obtaining his Ph.D., Dr. Song Zhen pursued postdoctoral research in the laboratory co-directed by Professor James Weiss, Chair of the Department of Cardiovascular Medicine at the David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles, and Professor Zhilin Qu, Director of the Cardiac Computational Laboratory. He continued to conduct in-depth research on the cardiac electrophysiology system that was more closely related to clinical medicine. In 2018, he was appointed to a research faculty position (Assistant Researcher). Dr. Song Zhen's research interests lie in computer simulation and modeling of biological systems, as well as establishing mathematical and physical theories to explore and answer the mechanisms and principles behind relevant physiological and pathological issues. Currently, his main research directions include cardiac electrophysiology, calcium cycling, metabolism, and signaling pathways of mitochondria, and the establishment of general models for TRPC ion channels. Since engaging in scientific research, he has published nearly 20 peer-reviewed papers in first-class international journals, including PNAS, Circulation, PLOS Computational Biology, Biophysical Journal, Heart Rhythm, and Journal of Molecular and Cellular Cardiology. Dr. Song Zhen has been invited to give oral presentations at international academic conferences four times. He also serves as a long-term reviewer for nearly 10 internationally renowned journals (such as PLOS Computational Biology, Biophysical Journal, Physical Review E, etc.).