Lasers may soon pave the way for a new class of medical
devices. Research shows that pulses of light could alter the beating of a
living quail embryo's heart. This heart beat-altering technique using lasers
may help identify the origins of genetic heart defects.
A Change of Pace
Researchers from Case Western Reserve University and
Vanderbilt University used a 1.875 micrometer wavelength laser beam to cause
the quail embryo's heart to quicken. The pace of the heart could be controlled
with infrared light. Now the researchers are trying to figure out the link
between heart rates and genetic defects that ultimately end in heart failure.
The quail embryos were only 2-3 days old. At such a young age,
the heart consists of a single pulsing tube as opposed to the more developed
four chambers. The wall of the heart is susceptible to altering patterns of
blood flow and can trigger different genetic responses, such as birth defects.
Trying these tests with precision would have been nearly
impossible with electric pacing. A large region of tissue would have been affected
by the current and potentially created more variables in the testing.
Electrical stimulation usually destroys cells, whereas optical stimulation doesn't
cause direct harm to the organ.
A Laser Pacemaker
Biomedical engineers working on the project hope that this
technology may lead to an optical pacemaker for humans. Before this occurs, there
are a few obstacles that need to be leapt. For one, it is not entirely
understood how laser pulses control the heart beat. Using light to stimulate
cells has only recently come into practice.
Jansen, a biomedical engineering professor at Vanderbilt
University, was also part of the laser-pacing discovery. He hopes to answer
questions, such as "Can we use this for controlling prosthetic limbs?" and "Can
we mimic true motor functions?"
Resources:
IEEE
Spectrum – A Laser Pacemaker
| 
Re: Using a Laser as a Pacemaker
