The PI will develop and validate a new dynamic space-time resolved all-optical approach to cardiac dynamics. The unique advantages of optogenetic actuation will be combined with simultaneous high-resolution optical imaging to offer a conceptually new way of quantifying cardiac instabilities and predict arrhythmias.
They will demonstrate a general framework for contactless probing of biological function in space-time by optogenetic means that can be applied not only to perturbing and observing membrane potential in excitable cells, but also for the study of cell signaling, gene expression, for which optogenetic tools exist. The all-optical methodology allows for straightforward integration of real-time feedback control in vitro and in vivo, which can yield new insights into biological function and ability to control it. To broaden the educational impact of the proposed work, the PI, a dedicated mentor of early-stage trainees, will: 1) collaborate with the BioPREP program at Stony Brook to recruit academically-strong community college students from underprivileged background, helping them pursue a career in STEM; and 2) will integrate the developed techniques into a new formal course on quantitative optogenetic approaches to the study of biological functions, which will be offered not only at Stony Brook in a regular format, but also online via the Coursera educational platform. The evaluation of educational outcomes will be done by tracking of the career paths of trained students via social media.
