Light-the future of cardiac pacemaker: laser beam can control heartbeat

United States scientists first use of the laser beam control the pulsation of the heart.

This discovery to explore the mysteries of the human heart opened a new page, also controlled the advent of the pacemaker.

Common cardiac pacemaker is faint pulse current stimulation of cardiac cells, and then the heartbeat of rhythm.

As early as 1967, soon-to-market for electrical pacemaker, scientists discovered light can improve the pulsation of the heart frequency, but because of the constraints, people do not know how to control it. Until 2008, Japan's a research team to use a near-infrared laser beam, the successful control of a mission in isolated cardiac myocyte beating. But so far, no one can control the whole heart.

But one of them hasn't given up.

Michael Jenkins is the United States, Ohio, Cleveland's case Western Reserve University's a biomedical engineer, he read the discovery of 1967, determined to be the experiment continues. He and his colleagues used a laser beam irradiation some quail live embryos in vitro, these embryos only 2 ~ 3 days old, and its heart volume only 2 cubic mm, compared to a number of myocardial cell deal is very suitable experimental material.

Miracle.

Jenkins, embryo's heartbeat with laser pulse frequency synchronization. Researchers try to adjust the pulse frequency, from 2 ~ 3 times, then gradually slow down, but the results remain the same, the amplitude of the pulse frequency changes even up to 50%. Jenkins of team will publish the results in the August 15th edition of the natural-Photonics magazine.

Subsequently, the research team tested the different energy laser, to find the safest and most effective of the bunch.

The results show that 0.8 Joule/cm2 laser will not cause injury to the heart; when the energy up to five times, the subject of myocardial cells are burnt.

Jenkins said, although needs through a long period of observation experiment to determine these heart cells is really unscathed, but the result is significant.

"We want to know how the formation of congenital heart disease, and would also like to know how the heart beat frequency changes of step by step. "Jenkins said," we want to use a non-invasive means of treatment of heart disease. "Japan Osaka bio physicist Nicholas Smith is using a laser control of myocardial cells in first person, he said Jenkins research is a major breakthrough. "I am very happy to see this progress, it is the world's first laser regulation a whole heart. If this study to in-depth, people will find that the laser can do much more. "

But dig it, but it is not so simple things, there are some issues also wait for the scientists to answer.

The first is the laser is how to stimulate the heart work, although many scientists guessing because laser temperature affect the cells, but this mechanism has not been confirmed; second, Jenkins was also unable to determine his findings could not be applied to a volume of more mature heart.

Smith said that if the above problems can be solved, and to ensure that the heart is not affected by injuries, laser is very likely to clinical treatment, such as cardiac surgery or a pacemaker implantation.