LAUSR

Cardiac optogenetics is an emerging research field combining photo-sensitive ion channels such as channelrhodopsin-2 (ChR2) expressed in cardiomyocytes with targeted illumination to enable precise spatio-temporal modulation of cardiac electrical function. During the last years, optical pacing, resynchronization and defibrillation have been demonstrated and, more recently, the development of innovative optical platforms has proven the possibility of monitoring and manipulating action potential propagation pathways in whole mouse hearts in real time. However, current implementations of cardiac optogenetics were limited to a purely binary control (activation or inhibition) of muscle contraction. In this study, we explore sub-threshold illumination of ChR2-expressing mouse hearts to further expand the manipulation capabilities of optogenetics to include fine-tuning of action potential characteristics.