Novel optical approaches to understanding the microscopic origins of calcium waves and the mechanisms underlying their arrhythmogenic properties
The regular pumping of our heart requires the cardiac muscle cells to contract in a specific co-ordinated pattern. Contraction is stimulated by a rapid but carefully regulated increase of calcium ions in each cell. However, sometimes waves of calcium ions can arise spontaneously inside a cell, causing it to contract at the wrong time. This can cause dangerous irregular heart rhythms, or ‘arrhythmias’, which are a particular problem in heart failure. Dr Chris Dunsby and his team at Imperial College London’s Department of Physics plan to develop a technique to study these calcium waves. In heart failure, changes occur to heart muscle cells, and the team will study how these changes affect the start and spread of calcium waves. They will use recent advances in laser and camera technology and develop a cutting-edge microscope system that can track calcium waves in individual cells and in tissue samples. This project brings together experts in optics and heart physiology to address an important issue for people living with heart failure. By understanding how and where heart muscle cells become vulnerable to spontaneous contraction, the team hope to identify new ways to treat arrhythmias. The technology will also provide a tool with which to test the effect of potential new treatments in cells and tissue samples in the lab before they are given to people.
Project details
| Grant amount | £302,274 |
|---|---|
| Grant type | Chairs & Programme Grants |
| Application type | New Horizons Grant |
| Start Date | 01 April 2017 |
| Duration | 3 years |
| Reference | NH/16/1/32447 |
| Status | In Progress |
