Light-Controlled Pacemaker
Optogenetics (a term that Karl Deisseroth at Stanford coined in 2006) involves a gene transfer from algae to make cells light sensitive. Then, a light source can produce an on/off switch function. This is the basic idea researchers at Stony Brook University have used to create a light controlled cardiac pacemaker. Their approach, in animal studies, begins with a bone marrow harvest that yields up cells for genetic transformation (note: this piece only mentions a non-viral delivery means). The transferred algae gene produces the light sensitive protein channelrhodopsin 2. Those cells are then implanted on the surface of the heart, which conveys the electrical impulse from a light source. The researchers found that the low-level light stimulation worked as effectively as electrical stimulation, and the implication for pacemaker technology is longer battery life and no metal leads that can break. MORE
Image Credit: Gizmag.com