Translational Cardiac Optics Research
Translational Cardiac Optics Research
The “translational Cardiac Optics Research” group focuses on the investigation of cardiovascular
events with the long-term goal of developing new translational approaches. The translational aspect is
not only based on the fact that basic research results can be transferred to the preclinical phase, but
also on visualizing the different developmental courses of cardiac processes in various laboratory models
for knowledge deepening and making the causes of the different manifestations more understandable.
In addition to electrophysiological and molecular biological techniques, we also rely on newly developed
electrotechnical sensor and light technology, as well as biomedical imaging techniques on the microand
macroscopic scales. With the help of these measurement techniques, we are able to obtain an
all-round view of the heart, which enables us to better understand systemic relationships and optimize
preclinical processes.
Arrhythmia Classification & Characterization
Optogenetic Arrhythmia Termination & LED-Array
Cardiac diseases are omnipresent and pose ever new challenges to cardiovascular research. In
particular, the mechanisms and tissue alterations underlying these diseases are often difficult
to investigate in their three-dimensional complexity. All-optical measurement techniques are
currently very popular when it comes to describing the physiological functions of the heart.
Per definitionem, the term all-optical physiology stands for the usage of optical properties
and accordingly devices, which allows non-contact multidimensional and multicellular physiological
observations. But how could this specifically benefit cardiac physiology? Especially for all kinds of
electro-sensitive questions, optical approaches can be of great advantage and
due to the steady development of technology, more and more optics can be used not only
in vitro but also in ex vivo or in vivo experiments. Here, we focus on new optophysiological
methods with respect to their translational research direction and with these we can address
a variety of scientific questions, from measurable characterization to the manipulation of
physiological processes in optogenetically modified hearts.
Always the same?
Influence of gender and tissue remodeling in aging heart populations
Ventricular tachyarrhythmia represent a serious challenge in cardiac rhythm research, especially
against the background of gerontological tissue remodelling and its potential influence
on arrhythmia termination protocols. Standard electrotherapies somehow thwart the investigation
of underlying changes in excitation patterns by producing electrical artefacts and
therefore could be hiding critical termination mechanisms. Photosensitive excitation control
in cardiac tissue applying structured illumination, however, can be used to overcome these
artefacts and to deepen our understanding of rhythm changes before, during and after
arrhythmia termination.
Cardiac differences between the individual laboratory animal models
In cooperation with the University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, we are conducting a project
on imaging in the optically cleared heart. Here, heart preparations from various laboratory animal
models are made quasi-transparent by means of the so-called optical clearing procedure; only
the blood vessel structures are then visible due to staining. The data obtained using camera
technology is statistically analyzed with regard to the comparative parameters of the different
species and processed in the form of a public database. This can be used to decide on a specific
and the best possible animal model in advance of an experimental study, which, in addition to
experimental improvement, can also have a positive effect on reducing the number of laboratory
animals (3R principle - Refinement & Reduction).