High-Resolution Optical Measurement of Cardiac Restitution, Contraction, and Fibrillation Dynamics in Beating vs. Blebbistatin-Uncoupled Isolated Rabbit Hearts.

Optical mapping is a high-resolution fluorescence imaging technique, that uses voltage- or calcium-sensitive dyes to visualize electrical excitation waves on the heart surface. However, optical mapping is very susceptible to the motion of cardiac tissue, which results in so-called in the fluorescence signal. To avoid motion artifacts, contractions of the heart muscle are typically suppressed using pharmacological excitation-contraction uncoupling agents, such as Blebbistatin.

Transport and programmed release of nanoscale cargo from cells by using NETosis.

Cells can take up nanoscale materials, which has important implications for understanding cellular functions, biocompatibility as well as biomedical applications. Controlled uptake, transport and triggered release of nanoscale cargo is one of the great challenges in biomedical applications of nanomaterials. Here, we study how human immune cells (neutrophilic granulocytes, neutrophils) take up nanomaterials and program them to release this cargo after a certain time period.