Toward microendoscopy-inspired cardiac optogenetics in vivo: technical overview and perspective

Area of Science:

• Cardiovascular Research
• Biomedical Engineering
• Electrophysiology

Background:

• Precise measurement of cardiac electrical activity is vital for understanding arrhythmias and developing therapies.
• Optical mapping and optogenetics offer high-resolution visualization and precise control of cardiac electrophysiology.
• In vivo applications require advanced optical systems, particularly fiber optics, for cardiac optogenetics.

Purpose of the Study:

• To present a technical perspective on all-optical interrogation of cardiac electrophysiology in vivo.
• To identify clinically relevant access routes to the cardiac electrical conduction system.
• To determine size constraints for endoscopic cardiac optogenetics and outline strategies for system development.

Main Methods:

• Review of clinically relevant catheter imaging systems for cardiac access.
• Determination of quantitative size constraints for endoscopic cardiac optogenetics.
• Discussion of advancements in microendoscopy, cardiac imaging, and optogenetics.

Main Results:

• Identification of potential access routes for in vivo cardiac optogenetics.
• Establishment of size limitations for miniaturized endoscopic systems.
• Outline of strategies for integrating microendoscopy, imaging, and optogenetics.

Conclusions:

• All-optical interrogation of cardiac electrophysiology in vivo is feasible with advanced fiber-based systems.
• Understanding access routes and size constraints is critical for developing portable endoscopic optogenetic tools.
• Integration of current technologies can lead to novel diagnostic and therapeutic approaches for cardiac arrhythmias.