Using computer-generated light patterns, researchers were able to control the direction of spiralling electrical waves in heart cells.
CREDIT
Eana Park
Team from Oxford and Stony Brook first to use optogenetics to control excitation waves in heart cells
We depend on electrical waves to regulate the rhythm of our heartbeat. When those signals go awry, the result is a potentially fatal . Now, a team of researchers from Oxford and Stony Brook universities has found a way to precisely control these waves – using light.
Their results are published in the journal Nature Photonics on 19 October.
Both cardiac cells in the heart and neurons in the brain communicate by electrical signals, and these messages of communication travel fast from cell to cell as ‘excitation waves’. Interestingly, such waves are also found in a range of other processes in nature, from chemical reactions to yeast and amoebas.
For heart patients there are currently two options to keep these waves in check: electrical devices (pacemakers or defibrillators) or drugs (eg beta blockers). However, these methods are relatively crude: they can stop or start waves but cannot provide fine control over the wave speed and direction. This is like being able to start or stop a boat but without the ability to steer it. So, the research team set out to find ways to steer the excitation waves, borrowing tools from the developing field of optogenetics, which so far has been used mainly in brain science.
Dr Gil Bub, from Oxford University explained: ‘When there is scar tissue in the heart or fibrosis, this can cause part of the wave to slow down. That can cause re-entrant waves which spiral back around the tissue, causing the heart to beat much too quickly, which can be fatal. If we can control these spirals, we could prevent that.
‘Optogenetics uses genetic modification to alter cells so that they can be activated by light. Until now, it has mainly been used to activate individual cells or to trigger excitation waves in tissue. We wanted to use it to very precisely control the activity of millions of cells.’
A protein called channelrhodopsin was delivered to heart cells using gene therapy techniques so that they could be controlled by light. Then, using a computer-controlled light projector, the team was able to control the speed of the cardiac waves, their direction and even the orientation of spirals in real time – something that never been shown for waves in a living system before.
In the short term, the ability to provide fine control means that researchers are able to carry out experiments at a level of detail previously only available using computer models. They can now compare those models to experiments with real cells, potentially improving our understanding of how the heart works. The research can also be applied to the physics of such waves in other processes. In the long run, it might be possible to develop precise treatments for heart conditions.
Dr Emilia Entcheva, from Stony Brook University, said: ‘The level of precision is reminiscent of what one can do in a computer model, except here it was done in real heart cells, in real time.
‘Precise control of the direction, speed and shape of such excitation waves would mean unprecedented direct control of organ-level function, in the heart or brain, without having to focus on manipulating each cell individually. This ideal therapy has remained in the realm of science fiction until now.’
Read more:Â Researchers learn how to steer the heart — with light
The Latest on: Optogenetics
via Google News
The Latest on: Optogenetics
- Optogenetics Uncovers Working Memory’s High-Dimensional Circuitryon July 28, 2022 at 5:00 am
Distributed high-dimensional representation of visual working memory is dependent on instantaneous reciprocal interactions between the parietal and premotor cortices.
- Optogenetics Market Size, Share and Global Outlook 2022 to 2028 | Coherent, Thorlabs, Cobalt, Scientifica, Laserglow Technologieson July 26, 2022 at 4:48 am
New Research Study “”Optogenetics Market 2022 analysis by Market Growth (Drivers, Constraints, Opportunities, Threats, Challenges and Business Opportunities), Size, Share and Outlook ...
- Optogenetics For 100 Euroson July 25, 2022 at 5:00 pm
Larval zebrafish, Drosophila (fruit fly), and Caenorhabditis elegans (roundworm) have become key model organisms in modern neuroscience due to their low maintenance costs and easy sharing of ...
- Community Newsletter: An ‘unexpected autistic,’ presynaptic optogenetics, neuroanatomy arton July 24, 2022 at 4:00 am
Heating up Twitter feeds this week was a new commentary about a rarely discussed perspective on autism, talk about the use of optogenetics tools to manipulate ‘presynapses,’ a possible explanation for ...
- Optogenetics Market to Grow with a Significant CAGR During the forecast period 2022-2028| Exclusive Report Spread Across 108 Pageson July 20, 2022 at 9:21 pm
Optogenetics Market Research Report is spread across 108 Pages and provides exclusive data, information, vital statistics, trends, and competitive landscape details in this niche sector. We have been ...
- Optogenetics Market Set To [Future Scope] With Myriad Advances | Addgene, Coherent, Elliot Scientific Limitedon July 12, 2022 at 2:42 pm
SEATTLE, UNITED STATES, UNITED STATES, July 12, 2022 /EINPresswire.com / -- The global Optogenetics market size was valued at $ 32.5 Bn in 2021, and is projected to reach $ 86.4 Bn by 2028 ...
- Optogenetics Actuators and Sensors Market Future Trends, Industry Analysis, Growth, Applications, Types and Forecasts Report 2028on July 8, 2022 at 12:17 am
Optogenetics Actuators and Sensors report defines various segments related to Optogenetics Actuators and Sensors industry and market with thorough research and analysis. This market report ...
via Bing News