A team at John Hopkins University is experimenting using red pulses to help heart conditions. An illustration of EKG readings before, during, and after exposure to light pulses (via John Hopkins University)
Have you ever accidentally shocked yourself while unplugging your phone? The zap only last for less than a second, but the sting is unforgettable. Imagine that pain surging through your heart. That’s what happens when a defibrillator is used. Yes, while it can kickstart the heart, the electrical pulses damage tissue. So what’s the safe route? A team at John Hopkins University believes beams of red light can help restore normal heartbeat.
The science behind it is more complex than simply flashing a red light at your chest. The process is actually based on optogenetics, which features light sensitive proteins attached to living tissues. The proteins can change the electrical activity your cells when they’re exposed to light. This would provide a safer and gentler way to treat heart issues, especially in people who are at high risk of arrhythmia.
A group from the University of Bonn in Germany tested the process on genetically engineered mouse hearts, whose cells could produce proteins when triggered by light. A regular heartbeat was restored after being exposed to one-second light pulses. Thought the test was a success, the team needed to figure out if it would work on human hearts. So the team at John Hopkins performed another experiment with a human heart sim made from a computer model based off MRI scans of a heart attack patient.
Their results found the blue light the German team used wouldn’t be strong enough for human hearts, but the red light was more effective. Before this method becomes readily available in hospitals, more research and tweaking has to be done. Phillip Sasse, a junior professor at the Institute of Physiology I at the University of Bonn believes the technology won’t be ready until “implantable optical defibrillators can be developed” for patients. At this time, it may take another five to ten years before it’s fully ready.
So it looks like standard defibrillators will still be the go-to method at least for now. But if further research and testing proves to be successful this could make big changes in heart treatment. There’s still question as to whether or not it’ll be as effective as electrical pulses, but so far things are looking up. Now, if there could only be something to make the thought of going to the doctor less scary.
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