Newfangled nanoscale scanning technique could improve heart health

Oh, nanotechnology — your wonders never cease. Boffins at Imperial College London have been able to use live nanoscale microscopy (a technique called scanning ion conductance microscopy) in order to see the surface of the cardiac muscle cell at more detailed levels than those possible using conventional live microscopy. Without getting too gross on you, the new process could lead to improved designs of beta-blockers, the drugs that can retard the development of heart failure. Researchers are hoping that the findings could also lead to “improvements in current therapeutic approaches to treating heart failure and abnormal heart rhythms,” and while these exceptionally detailed images are helping the cardiac muscle right now, we’re hoping that this stuff could also bleed over to other fields of medicine. Ventricles crossed!

Newfangled nanoscale scanning technique could improve heart health originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 27 Feb 2010 11:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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