title: Optical control of excitation waves in cardiac tissue.
abstract: In nature, macroscopic excitation waves1,2are found in a diverse range of settings including chemical reactions, metal rust, yeast, amoeba and the heart and brain. In the case of living biological tissue, the spatiotemporal patterns formed by these excitation waves are different in healthy and diseased states2,3. Current electrical and pharmacological methods for wave modulation lack the spatiotemporal precision needed to control these patterns. Optical methods have the potential to overcome these limitations, but to date have only been demonstrated in simple systems, such as the Belousov-Zhabotinsky chemical reaction4. Here, we combine dye-free optical imaging with optogenetic actuation to achieve dynamic control of cardiac excitation waves. Illumination with patterned light is demonstrated to optically control the direction, speed and spiral chirality of such waves in cardiac tissue. This all-optical approach offers a new experimental platform for the study and control of pattern formation in complex biological excitable systems.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics, University of Oxford, Sherrington Building, Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3PT, UK.
authors.forename: Rebecca A B
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Burton
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Engineering, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York 11794, USA.
authors.forename: Aleksandra
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Klimas
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Engineering, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York 11794, USA.
authors.forename: Christina M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Ambrosi
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics, University of Oxford, Sherrington Building, Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3PT, UK.
authors.forename: Jakub
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Tomek
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics, University of Oxford, Sherrington Building, Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3PT, UK; Department of Engineering Science, University of Oxford, Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3PJ, UK.
authors.forename: Alex
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Corbett
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Engineering, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York 11794, USA.
authors.forename: Emilia
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Entcheva
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics, University of Oxford, Sherrington Building, Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3PT, UK.
authors.forename: Gil
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Bub