Project description
Stimulating cardiac activity by light
Myocardial infarction is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality throughout the world. Understanding how altered tissue architecture influences cardiac electrical conduction is crucial in developing therapies that treat abnormal heart rhythms. Current wide-field multiphoton techniques are limited in their ability to study key conduction features in a 3D framework. Funded by the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions programme, the Optoheart project will combine novel imaging technology with applied cardiovascular pathophysiology studies to investigate cardiac conduction at tissue interfaces in intact hearts. The project plans to develop a new all-optical platform to simultaneously measure and stimulate cardiac activity in real time using custom optical patterns.
Objective
Myocardial infarction (MI) is a key risk factor for sudden cardiac death, a leading global cause of mortality. Understanding how altered tissue architecture in MI influences cardiac electrical conduction is crucial to develop therapies which treat abnormal heart rhythms (arrhythmias) clinically. Optical measurement of transmembrane voltage in cardiac muscle is a versatile, non-invasive tool to investigate myocardial conduction. However, the current techniques of wide-field and multiphoton imaging have individual limitations restricting their ability to study key features of conduction in a 3D framework. Furthermore, optogenetics cannot be easily implemented in imaging platforms due to spectral overlap with the activation of light-gated ion channels such as channelrhodopsin. Combining all 3 techniques will provide a platform to study electrical conduction within mammalian myocardium in a 3D context and will be capable of quantifying effects introduced by tissue heterogeneity such as vasculature and scar tissue.
The proposed project combines development of novel imaging technology with applied cardio-(patho)-physiology to study cardiac conduction at tissue interfaces in intact hearts with an innovative correlative approach. A new all-optical platform will be developed to simultaneously measure and stimulate cardiac activity, with the capability for real-time stimulation using custom optical patterns. Conduction will be mapped experimentally across structurally distinct regions and depths in healthy and MI hearts. This data will be correlated with underlying cytoarchitecture in the same hearts by employing tissue clearing in combination with novel light-sheet microscopy for imaging of structurally intact whole organs. This work will realise a new platform to study conduction in 3D microstructural context and deliver proof-of-concept data to address key questions concerning electrical behaviour in healthy and diseased hearts.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
- medical and health sciences clinical medicine cardiology cardiovascular diseases cardiac arrhythmia
- social sciences sociology demography mortality
- natural sciences physical sciences optics microscopy
- medical and health sciences basic medicine physiology
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Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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H2020-EU.1.3. - EXCELLENT SCIENCE - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions
MAIN PROGRAMME
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H2020-EU.1.3.2. - Nurturing excellence by means of cross-border and cross-sector mobility
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Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
MSCA-IF-EF-ST - Standard EF
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Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) H2020-MSCA-IF-2018
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Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
G12 8QQ Glasgow
United Kingdom
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.