A new state-of-the-art microscope to study heart cells in minute detail

Funding towards a Nikon N-Storm Super-Resolution microscope

Calcium is essential to generate the electrical signal that causes the heart to beat. Professor Andrew Trafford and BHF Professor David Eisner’s research has focused on understanding how calcium is controlled within the heart and what goes wrong in heart rhythm diseases and heart failure. To stay at the forefront of this research field they need to study heart cells in minute detail. The BHF has contributed £265,000 (half of the cost) towards a new state-of-the art microscope system. This will significantly boost their current imaging and research capabilities, so they can investigate research questions that they have previously been unable to address. The new system will enable them to image cells, proteins and ions, like calcium, at the same time and at a much higher resolution in heart cells, so their results will be much more precise and detailed than before. Many heart researchers of different disciplines in Manchester will use this new equipment and it will attract scientists to work there. This equipment will improve our understanding of the intricate processes within heart cells that underlie the normal heart beat. By understanding what goes wrong in various heart diseases, it may reveal new ways to treat them.