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
[google_news title=”” keyword=”Optogenetics” num_posts=”10″ blurb_length=”0″ show_thumb=”left”]
via Google News
The Latest on: Optogenetics
- Restoring vision: Researchers in Japan and abroad see the light in field of 'optogenetics'on May 12, 2024 at 3:00 pm
Optogenetics, a technique that manipulates the activity of targeted nerve cells by shining light, has come to be widely applied in brain research, and ...
- The Advent Of Tech In Science: How Optogenetics Seeks To Further The Development Of ‘Bionic Eye’on May 7, 2024 at 3:07 am
Once a topic of science fiction and lore, the idea of restoring eyesight is finally becoming an approachable reality. Today, the idea of building visual prosthesis has become less the subject of ...
- Demystifying Vision: Optical Illusions Illuminate Neural Pathwayson May 2, 2024 at 4:19 pm
Optical Illusion Helps Demystify the Way Vision Works For the first time, research shows that a certain kind of visual illusion, neon color spreading, works on mice. The study is also the first to com ...
- Illusion demystifies the way vision works: Experiments imply brightness perception occurs deeper in brain than thoughton April 26, 2024 at 8:13 am
For the first time, research shows that a certain kind of visual illusion, neon color spreading, works on mice. The study is also the first to combine the use of two investigative techniques called ...
- Optogenetics News and Researchon April 23, 2024 at 5:00 pm
In a breakthrough for cancer research, scientists at EPFL have created lab-grown mini-colons that can accurately mimic the development of colorectal tumors, offering a powerful new tool for ...
- Restoring sight is possible now with optogeneticson April 23, 2024 at 3:30 am
Several companies are experimenting with optogenetics to create a “bionic eye” that can restore sight in visually impaired people.
- “Zombie neurons” shed light on the cerebellum's critical teaching signalson April 1, 2024 at 5:00 pm
In our experiment, we used a technique called optogenetics. This method functions like a highly precise remote control for brain cells, using light to turn on or off certain cells of interest at ...
- cOpn5 optogenetics effectively activates astrocytes (IMAGE)on May 18, 2022 at 7:06 am
Disclaimer: AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert ...
- Optogenetics For 100 Euroson August 4, 2017 at 12:49 am
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 ...
via Bing News