Dr. Charles Antzelevitch, professor and executive director of cardiovascular research at Main Line Health’s Lankenau Institute for Medical Research, has received the 2020 Lifetime Achievement Award from the American College of Cardiology, a nonprofit medical association, for his groundbreaking research into abnormal heart rhythms.

“We are so proud that Dr. Antzelevitch has been named for this very prestigious award from his colleagues in the cardiovascular field,” said Dr. George Prendergast, president and CEO of Lankenau Institute for Medical Research. “For many years, Dr. Antzelevitch has played a pivotal role in global advancements of important investigations that have the potential to significantly improve cardiac care today and in the future.”

Dr. Antzelevitch studies abnormal heartbeats (also known as arrhythmia syndromes) via electrophysiology. He has devoted much of his career to the study of the mechanisms underlying abnormal rhythms of the heart, including atrial fibrillation and inherited cardiac arrhythmias (e.g., Long QT, Short QT and J Wave Syndromes), the latter of which can contribute to sudden cardiac death of young adults and in some cases have been shown to be responsible for sudden infant death.

Dr. Antzelevitch and fellow LIMR researcher Dr. Gan-Xin Yan convened a consensus conference in 2015 to update the scientific and clinical communities on the mechanisms, diagnosis, prognosis, risk stratification, and treatment of J Wave Syndromes. And in 2016, the report of the J-Wave Expert Consensus Conference was published simultaneously in three biomedical journals, a highly unusual occurrence that speaks to the importance of their work.

Dr. Antzelevitch and his research colleagues also have contributed significantly to studies aimed at the development of new medications to treat atrial fibrillation, the most common type of arrhythmia. Additionally, he and his lab team are engaged in organ bioengineering studies, including cloning hearts that one day could be used in heart transplants and thus would resolve the world’s organ-shortage challenge.

“I am honored and humbled by this recognition from the ACC and am grateful to the awards committee and board of trustees,” said Dr. Antzelevitch, who is a fellow of the ACC and was the recipient of the Society’s Distinguished Scientist Award in 2011. “I share this honor with the members of my lab team, past and present, who have contributed immensely to the advancement of science and to the many breakthroughs in cardiovascular research that have benefitted patients at Main Line Health and throughout the world.”

Click here to learn more about Dr. Charles Antzelevitch’s research.

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