Rat cardiomyocyte with S. elongatus bacteriaCOHEN ET AL., SCIENCE ADVANCES, 2017.The use of photosynthetic microorganisms to provide much needed oxygen to damaged heart tissue could be a feasible approach to treating heart attacks, say the authors of a study published today (June 14) in Science Advances. Their paper describes the injection of the cyanobacterium Synechococcus elongatus into ischemic heart muscles of live rats, where, in response to light exposure, the microbes produced oxygen and improved organ function.
“It’s a very novel and clever application of an innate microbial property to a very serious medical problem that really is in need of innovative solutions,” says Susan Erdman, a microbiologist and immunologist at MIT who was not involved with the research. “I thought it was amazing and I was very excited about it.”
“Their concept is totally unique,” says cardiac surgery professor Arnar Geirsson of Yale School of Medicine who also did not participate in the work. “They are definitely thinking outside the box.”
Photosynthetic organisms capture energy from sunlight and use it to convert carbon dioxide and water into carbohydrates for growth. The process creates a surplus of oxygen, which the organisms simply expel into the atmosphere, much to the delight of aerobic ...
