Optogenetics Club Lecture with Prof. Dr. Alexander Heisterkamp from the Institute of Quantum Optics, Leibniz University Hannover. He will talk about “Optogenetic implants”.

Abtract
Optogenetics has revolutionized the field of neurobiology by allowing highly specific temporal and spatial control of action potentials within neurons and, more generally, the brain of model animals. Moreover, additional possibilities opened up in the field of muscle activation or even triggering cellular pathways with a broad range of optogenetic proteins. In our group we are applying optogenetics in the field of implantology, studying possible ways to deliver light to the site of application, as for example in hearing research as well as in cardiology, for establishing an optogenetically controlled heart contraction. In this talk I will give an overview of our recent work, studying the light activation of parts of the rodent brain within the inferior colliculus using fiber technology, as well as applications for cardiac pacing of artificial heart muscle tissues and rodent hearts with suitable fiber applicators.

Chairs: Tobias Moser and Thomas Mager

Professor James T. Thackeray, PhD from the Translational Cardiovascular Molecular Imaging (TCMI), Department of Nuclear Medicine, Hannover Medical School will talk about “Molecular Imaging of the Heart-Brain Axis to Guide Repair after Ischemic Damage”

Abstract
The heart and brain comprise an interdependent symbiotic relationship. But what happens when a component of this battery is compromised, for example by ischemic damage? Does injury to one organ anticipate or instigate reciprocal harm to other organs, particularly those as tightly connected as the heart and brain? Clinical and experimental evidence suggests that myocardial ischemia imparts a higher risk of dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease. Cerebral stroke is associated with higher incidence of myocardial infarction and heart failure progression. Despite the observed evidence, the biologic mechanisms underlying this interconnection are poorly characterized. Part of this gap in knowledge derives from the technical challenges of assessing aberrations in multiple organs at the tissue or molecular level. Noninvasive strategies that enable simultaneous assessment of systems biology are appealing, and whole body molecular imaging using positron emission tomography to assess dysfunction provides a unique perspective on the evolution of disease. In this lecture, we will address the reciprocal damage incurred by distant organs after focal ischemic injury, and explore how molecular imaging methods provide new insights into inter-organ communication through the immune system after ischemic injury.

Hosts: Prof. Dr. Tobias Moser and Bettina Wolf, PhD

Location: Lecture hall 01/02, University Medical Center Göttingen, Robert-Koch-Str. 40

Poster of the talk: