(Invited) Cardiac Engineering: Optical Mapping in Cellular Communication

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Microfluidic platforms have emerged as valuable tools for replicating the adverse effects of chemotherapy drugs on cardiac and non-cardiac cells in vitro. However, these systems currently fall short of comprehensively capturing the intricate nature of human responses to chemotherapy, necessitating further validation to enhance model accuracy. While innovative chip systems provide insightful means for screening cardiac toxicity, they encounter challenges in addressing individual variations in drug responses and the influence of patient-specific factors.A novel cardiac chip incorporating intracellular electrophysiological techniques was developed to monitor acute hypoxia-induced responses in cardiac cells. Despite its promising potential, the model exhibits limitations inherent to its simplified two-dimensional microfluidic system, warranting additional validation and optimization efforts to enhance physiological relevance and facilitate applications in clinical translation.Moreover, previous research has proposed the formation of functional connections between human neurons and myocardial cells in a microfluidic chip. However, this study primarily focused on one-way connections between neurons and myocardial cells, overlooking the complexities of bidirectional neuro-muscular connections. Consequently, further research is imperative to deepen our understanding of the intricate interactions between neurons and myocardial cells.Optical mapping techniques assessed transmembrane voltage, mitochondrial activity, and calcium signals during electric pacing. These comprehensive assessments aim to advance our understanding of cardiac electrophysiology under drug exposure, providing crucial insights into the intricate responses of cardiac cells to chemotherapy. This research has significant implications for enhancing our understanding of cardiac safety in the context of chemotherapy.