In vivo Cardiac Nano-imaging

Abstract

In vivo nano-imaging is today’s key technology for understanding cellular and molecular functions on a real-time basis in living organisms. In mammals, including humans, the heart sends blood to the lungs and to the rest of the body each time it beats, only under the in vivo conditions. However, to date, sarcomeric contractions, which are the basis of myocardial dynamic behavior, have not been directly observed in vivo due to technical hurdles. In this article, we describe our newly developed in vivo cardiac nano-imaging microscope for mice, and discuss recent, novel findings obtained under true physiologic conditions by using this cutting-edge technology.