Real-Time Analysis of Heart Cells Using '3D Imaging'

[Asia Economy Reporter Junho Hwang] Domestic researchers have developed a technology that can observe the beating patterns and rates of cardiomyocytes in real time through digital holography. This enables quantitative analysis of how the heart responds to drugs, which is expected to greatly aid in drug toxicity and safety testing, as well as new drug development.

DGIST announced on the 24th that a research team led by Professor Inkyu Moon of the Department of Robotics has developed a technology to analyze holographic images of cardiomyocytes treated with drugs.

Real-time observation of cardiomyocytes

An image obtained by injecting drugs into cardiomyocytes cultured from stem cell technology.

The research team developed a method to measure the motility of drug-treated cardiomyocytes using digital holography techniques. They cultured cardiomyocytes from stem cells, administered drugs, and generated holograms of the cardiomyocytes. They then reconstructed the holograms into images and succeeded in measuring the heart's beating patterns through them.

By analyzing the three-dimensional structure of cardiomyocytes and applying algorithms, it is possible to quantitatively analyze the real-time state of cardiomyocytes responding to drugs after drug administration.

Previously, fluorescent markers that could potentially damage the cell structure were used to observe cardiomyocytes. Even then, obtaining accurate images of the cells was difficult. Therefore, there were significant technical challenges in analyzing the three-dimensional structure, motility, and mass of cells in real time.

Helping future patient-tailored new drug development

Professor Moon said, "The technology developed through this research is a fundamental technology necessary to quantitatively measure how drug-treated cardiomyocytes respond and change to drugs. It allows real-time monitoring of a patient's heart muscle condition and pre-testing of the risks of necessary drugs, which is expected to be very helpful for future patient-tailored treatments."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.