A study conducted by the Università degli Studi di Milano-Bicocca, in collaboration with Harvard University, the Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, and the Politecnico di Milano, shows that light stimulation can control and terminate irregular heart rhythms.

Using light to stop cardiac arrhythmias: this is the result achieved by a research team at the University of Milano-Bicocca, coordinated by Francesco Lodola, Professor of Physiology in the Department of Biotechnology and Biosciences at the Università degli Studi di Milano-Bicocca, and with researcher Chiara Florindi as first author of the study. Their research demonstrates, for the first time, that it is possible to control and terminate arrhythmias through light stimulation, without relying on optogenetics (i.e., genetic modification of cells) or current therapeutic strategies such as antiarrhythmic drugs or electrical pacing.

These findings provide the first experimental confirmation of the potential of optical stimulation as an alternative to both traditional approaches and optogenetics. This method could pave the way for the development of new, more targeted and less invasive antiarrhythmic therapies, although further studies will be needed to confirm its clinical applicability.

The team developed and validated a strategy based on the use of light to modulate the electrical activity of cardiac cells, using Ziapin2, a small photosensitive molecule developed by the Polytechnic University of Milan and characterized by the Italian Institute of Technology (IIT). The molecule, covered by a joint patent between the two institutions, is capable of inserting itself into the cell membrane and altering its electrical properties when exposed to light.

Source: Università degli Studi di Milano-Bicocca