Cardiac arrhythmias are major causes of morbidity and mortality throughout the world. Yet, despite many years of research, understanding of the precise mechanisms of the most complex arrhythmias, including atrial and ventricular fibrillation remains elusive. Until recently, most experimental studies on the mechanisms of arrhythmias were based on single intracellular or multiple extracellular recording techniques. However, increased theoretical understanding of the dynamics and mechanisms of cardiac arrhythmias has augmented the need for highly sophisticated tools that are capable of recording cardiac excitation and recovery with very high spatial and temporal resolution. The combination of computer modeling of cardiac electrical excitation, optical mapping of electrical wave propagation and molecular biology of membrane ion channel function and regulation fulfills much of such a need. Moreover, recent studies on molecular genetics have enable investigators to significantly advanced our understanding of the mechanisms of cardiac channelopathies and have helped save human lives. Thus, bringing together the top experts in this field to a recurring forum in which they can present and discuss the most exciting new contributions to the understanding of the mechanisms of cardiac rhythm disturbances would be extremely beneficial to the scientific community and also help to greatly advance the field. The Gordon Conference on arrhythmia mechanisms will focus on key scientific topics of relevance to both basic science and the clinic. It will allow the unique opportunity of bringing together a group of outstanding investigators, experts in various relevant fields, including structural and molecular biology, molecular genetics, cellular electrophysiology, biophysics, biomedical engineering, mathematics and clinical cardiology to interact and share ideas about the underlying mechanisms of complex cardiac arrhythmias and sudden cardiac death.
