Collaborative Research in VT (CORE-VT)
Research type
Research Database
IRAS ID
362682
Contact name
Johanna Tonko
Contact email
Research summary
Collaborative Research in VT (CORE-VT)
REC name
London - Harrow Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
25/LO/0914
Date of REC Opinion
19 Jan 2026
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion
Data collection arrangements
This research database will collect and store de-identified multimodal data of patients suffering from ventricular arrhythmias, a type of life-threatening heart rhythm disturbance that is often linked to a weak heart muscle and/or scarring within the heart, for example after a heart attack. Data will be collected by clinicians involved in the clinical care of these conditions and will include:
-electro-anatomical mapping data, which shows the heart's electrical activity and may reveal abnormal areas associated with the arrhythmia
-cardiac imaging data, which shows the size, function and structure of the heart muscle and informs on structural changes of the heart muscle that may be linked to these life-threatening arrhythmias
- digitised surface ECG data and intra-cardiac electrograms from implantable devices (such as ICDs), which continuously monitor and, if needed, treat dangerous heart rhythms
- de-identified clinical data and procedural outcome from treatments such as catheter ablation, which may indicate how well a treatment has worked or whether the abnormal rhythm has returned despite treatmentAll data will be stored without personal identifiers at a secure access-controlled research server at Imperial College London. The research database has received research governance and data protection oversight and has been approved by the local research ethics committe.
Research programme
The database is designed to support research into the underlying mechanism of life threatening heart rhythm disturbances and, ultimately, to improve the care of patients at increased risk of sudden cardiac death. Ventricular arrhythmias are serious, life-threatening conditions and management is often complex. Treatments such as catheter ablation can be challenging, and in some patients the abnormal rhythm cannot be fully controlled. By collecting high-quality, detailed data from a larger group of patients and applying advanced signal processing techniques, this database will help researchers better understand how and why these dangerous heart rhythms occur, and how treatments can be improved or tailored to individual patients. The aim is to develop new and more effective treatment options and to improve outcome and quality of life for people living with ventricular arrhythmias. The database is supported by a national and international community of heart rhythm specialists. It is intended to improve collaborative research and accelerate innovation in this field.
Research database title
Collaborative Research in VT (CORE-VT)
Establishment organisation
Imperial College London
Establishment organisation address
National Heart and Lung Institute
Guy Scadding Building, Cale Street
London
SW3 6LY