Scientists at The University of Nottingham
and the Israel Institute of Technology aim to overcome this problem
using proteins known as rhodopsins which are extremely sensitive to
light.
In Nottingham the research, funded by the British Heart Foundation (BHF) and the British Council’s BIRAX initiative (1) is being led by Chris Denning, Professor of Stem Cell Biology
in the School of Medicine. He said: “We plan to incorporate this new
technology into beating heart muscle patches that can eventually be
grafted onto damaged hearts. These patches of muscle tissue can then be
controlled by a pacemaker that emits light.”
Our heart beat is controlled by the brain
via pace maker cells which trigger the beating of the whole heart. Stem
cell cardiomyocytes – cardiac muscle cells – represent a stage of
development similar to that of the foetus – not the adult. These
immature foetal cells have not had chance to mature so they beat
uncontrollably.
The cell engineering work to make
cardiomyocytes that respond to light will be carried out at Nottingham
using special robotic platforms. The aim is to make them in sufficient
quantities for the team in Israel led by Professor Lior Gepstein to
pulse these cells and monitor them with light and carry out
transplantation studies in animal models of heart failure.
The heart muscle cells will contain two
types of rhodopsin – one which is stimulated by blue light to induce
electrical activity and one stimulated by yellow light to suppress
electrical activity. This approach ensures that any light-emitting
pacemaker will only work on the transplanted tissue containing the
rhodopsins.
The researcher team hopes this light
sensitive tissue can then be grafted on to a damaged heart, helping it
beat more effectively to reduce the devastating effects of heart failure
without the risk of heart rhythm problems.
Before the BIRAX scheme, collaboration
between UK and Israel scientists had proved difficult despite the world
class regenerative research happening in both countries. Professor
Denning and Professor Gepstein had previously been competitors in this
field but this project will allow them to combine expertise and
resources to accelerate developments in regenerative treatments for
heart patients.
Professor Denning said: “This grant of
£400,000 ensures we can work on a very promising technique for solving
one of the major challenges in regenerative medicine to mend a broken
heart.
“For years Professor Gepstein and I have
been competing to be the first in our field. But this project means that
instead of each team doing the same things twice, we will be
coordinating our efforts to ensure we can help heart patients as soon as
possible.”
Professor Peter Weissberg, Medical
Director at the BHF, said: “Science is not an isolated enterprise. It is
a global endeavour. While competition between labs can fuel progress,
it is nowhere near as productive as bringing the world’s best scientists
together to work towards a shared goal.
“The BIRAX initiative makes it possible
for the BHF to fund top UK scientists, like Professor Denning, to work
with their equivalents in Israel and help us reach our goal of finding
new treatments for the millions around the world living with heart
failure.”
Alan Gemmell, Director of the British
Council, said: “This programme combines the best of what Britain and
Israel can offer the world. World-class scientists and world-leading
medical research charities are working with us to improve the lives of
millions of people.”
BIRAX is a 5-year, £10 million fund
investing in cutting-edge science by world-class researchers in labs in
Britain and Israel. It is funded by a mix of philanthropists and medical
research foundations or charities. It is Britain’s most important
bilateral initiative with Israel. Israel and the United Kingdom are both
leaders in regenerative medicine and natural partners for research in
this ground-breaking field.