Session 3G: Drug Discovery for the Treatment of Heart Failure

Session Number

Session 3G: 3rd Presentation

Advisor(s)

J. Andrew Wasserstrom, Northwestern University

Location

Room A117

Start Date

28-4-2017 1:15 PM

End Date

28-4-2017 2:30 PM

Abstract

Heart failure (HF) affects about 6 million adults in the United States each year. However, the cellular mechanisms of developing HF are poorly understood which hinders the development of treatment. The purpose of this investigation was to further research the correlation between T-tubule density and the development of HF. Left ventricle myocytes of both HF and normal hearts were sliced into 2D images using confocal microscopy. Using AutoTT, the 2D images were analyzed to quantify the T-tubule and cytosolic areas. This data was then compiled to determine the total T-tubule volume in each cell. The findings demonstrate that HF myocytes have a lower T-tubule volume than normal cells, indicating that the loss of T-tubules is correlated with HF. When observing the images, it was noted that HF myocytes had localized T-tubule loss. Therefore, Matlab was used to investigate the range of T-tubules throughout the cell by calculating the the distance of each pixel to the closest T-tubules. To better understand the results of T-tubule loss, action potentials were also examined to investigate how malfunction in the heart’s electrical system can induce arrhythmia.

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Apr 28th, 1:15 PM Apr 28th, 2:30 PM

Session 3G: Drug Discovery for the Treatment of Heart Failure

Room A117

Heart failure (HF) affects about 6 million adults in the United States each year. However, the cellular mechanisms of developing HF are poorly understood which hinders the development of treatment. The purpose of this investigation was to further research the correlation between T-tubule density and the development of HF. Left ventricle myocytes of both HF and normal hearts were sliced into 2D images using confocal microscopy. Using AutoTT, the 2D images were analyzed to quantify the T-tubule and cytosolic areas. This data was then compiled to determine the total T-tubule volume in each cell. The findings demonstrate that HF myocytes have a lower T-tubule volume than normal cells, indicating that the loss of T-tubules is correlated with HF. When observing the images, it was noted that HF myocytes had localized T-tubule loss. Therefore, Matlab was used to investigate the range of T-tubules throughout the cell by calculating the the distance of each pixel to the closest T-tubules. To better understand the results of T-tubule loss, action potentials were also examined to investigate how malfunction in the heart’s electrical system can induce arrhythmia.