WEBINAR—Understanding Advanced Cardiac Tissue Slice Applications

November 15, 2023
10 a.m. EST

Cardiac slices better preserve the structure, function and biochemical properties of the heart compared to other model systems—including isolated cardiac myocytes and other intact tissue preparations—while also allowing for a wider range of experimentation than whole heart models. Additionally, cardiac slices can be prepared from both animal and human tissue, suggesting that generated data will translate better from the bench to clinical studies. 

In this webinar, Bradley Palmer, PhD, Matthew Caporizzo, PhD, and Benjamin Lee, MD, PhD, will explore specific research applications that are well suited to cardiac slices and the IonOptix Cardiac Slice System. They will demonstrate investigations utilizing cardiac slices to highlight the effect of myosin ATPase inhibition on the Frank-Starling relationship, as well as the relationship between microtubule network remodeling and diastolic stiffness and dysfunction. The speakers will also explore engineered heart tissue as an alternative to cardiac slice preparation. 

Key Topics Include: 

• acquiring work loops in cardiac slices, 
• visualizing the Frank-Starling relationship in cardiac slices, 
• using cardiac slices to understand the molecular mechanisms responsible for cardiac stiffening, and 
• how to acquire work loops in engineered heart tissue 

Speakers

Bradley Palmer, PhD
Assistant Professor, University of Vermont

Bradley Palmer is an assistant professor at the University of Vermont. His professional activities include original research that demonstrates the molecular basis of cardiac muscle relaxation function. Palmer’s work focuses on myofilament basis of muscle dynamic stiffness and zinc-dependent alterations in calcium regulation.

Matthew Caporizzo, PhD
Assistant Professor, University of Vermont

Matthew Caporizzo is an assistant professor at the University of Vermont. His laboratory studies the mechanics of heart failure with particular emphasis on understanding the molecular mechanisms that stiffen the heart and how the heart's stiffness influences its function in health and heart disease.

Benjamin Lee, MD, PhD
Fellow, University of Pennsylvania

Benjamin Lee, MD, PhD, is a cardiology fellow at the University of Pennsylvania. He received his MD/PhD in biomedical engineering from Columbia University in New York. Lee’s research interests include beating heart tissues. He uses 3D systems to better understand and target mechanical dysfunction in the heart.