MICA: High speed, high resolution imaging of excitable cell networks

心脏和大脑通过电脉冲的快速传播发挥作用。心律失常和癫痫发作是这些器官大量电涌的结果，但所有心脏和神经功能障碍最终都是生物电活动模式改变的结果。可视化心脏和神经元组织的活动是生物医学的一个基本挑战，因为每个简短的电信号都会在很长的距离上快速传播。例如，一个单一的心跳包括精心设计的电波遍及器官中的每个细胞。在同一时间段，神经系统中的电信号可以用来检测来袭的板球反射的光，计算其轨迹，并发送马达指令来接球。我们的计划结合了光学工程中的两项新技术，使我们能够在电刺激组织中捕捉到这些快速事件。这项计划将创建一种高速成像设施，使这些尖端方法能够更广泛地应用于心脏和神经疾病的研究。

The heart and brain function through the fast propagation of electrical impulses. Heart arrhythmias and epileptic seizures are the results of massive electrical surges in these organs, but all cardiac and neurological dysfunction results ultimately from alterations in the patterns of biological electrical activity. Visualising activity in cardiac and neuronal tissue is a fundamental challenge for biomedicine, as each brief electrical signal propagates rapidly over large distances. For example, a single heartbeat involves choreographed waves of electrical activity pervading every cell in the organ. During the same time period, electrical signals in the nervous system can be used to detect the light reflected from an incoming cricket ball, calculate its trajectory, and send the motor commands to make the catch. Our proposal brings together two new techniques in optical engineering that will enable us to capture these rapid events in electrically excitable tissues.This proposal will create a high speed imaging facility, which will enable the wider application of these cutting-edge approaches to studying cardiac and neurological disease.