Blue Light Pacemaker
September 29, 2015 | Terry Sharrer
Israeli researchers have taken a significant step toward a “biological pacemaker” using optogenetic technology. They were able to inject DNA into surface cells of a rat’s heart—the gene expressed channelorhodopsin 2 (a light sensitive protein found in algae). They then used a blue light-emitting device to synchronize the heartbeat. While this demonstrated a limited proof of principle, blue light does not penetrate living tissue very far; so the next step is to see if a light sensitive gene could be placed deeper in the tissue and respond to more penetrating infrared light. MORE
Image Credit: commons.wikimedia.org