OptoCarDi: searching for new diagnostic options to assess the heart muscle

The preparations for the OptoCarDi project at the EAH Jena and the Jena University Hospital (UKJ) are in full swing. Starting in June 2023, a research team led by Prof. Iwan Schie (Biomedical Engineering), Prof. Robert Brunner (Miniaturized Optical Sensor Systems) and the cardiologists Prof. Sven Möbius-Winkler and Prof. Christian Schulze will develop an optical catheter prototype.

The goal is to use the platform in examinations of the cardiac muscle to deliver accurate information about changes in the tissue and reduce the need for surgical heart tissue biopsies. In this MEDICA-tradefair.com interview, Prof. Iwan Schie talks about the project.

Prof. Schie, can you tell us about the OptoCarDi project?

Prof. Iwan Schie: The OptoCarDi project plans to develop a multimodal imaging catheter for the diagnosis of structural morphological changes in the heart muscle, especially myocarditis. The platform will combine optical and spectroscopic techniques such as optical coherence tomography, UV-excited autofluorescence and near-infrared spectroscopy to improve the diagnostic process. The Carl Zeiss Foundation is funding the project with one million euros, which will run until May 31, 2026.

Our goal is to transfer the project’s future lab prototype to preclinical testing and qualify the technology for use on patients. The targeted solution will open new possibilities for optical catheter-based intracardiac diagnostics in the future.

Who is involved in OptoCarDi?

Schie: The project team comprises the working groups AG-Brunner and AG-Schie from EAH, AG-Möbius-Winkler and AG-Schulze from UKJ. We collaborate with partners from science and industry.

What are your hopes for the research project?

Schie: We hope that the technology will improve the diagnosis of structural heart disease types such as myocarditis by facilitating a more accurate and personalized analysis and by reducing the need for invasive diagnostic procedures such as endomyocardial biopsy. The combination of optical and spectroscopic methods in one catheter allows doctors to obtain more precise information about the condition of the heart muscle and subsequently start more effective therapies.

How should we envision your research process?

Schie: The research pertaining to OptoCarDi is very demanding and requires close collaboration between experts from different disciplines such as optics, biomedicine, and medicine. The basic concept of the project is to develop an innovative tool that can capture the structure of the heart based on optical signals – like a microscope, only this system is used inside the body. To do this, we will develop a unique optical system that can assess and visualize minor changes in the heart tissue.

Where are the challenges in this setting?

Schie: One challenge is that these changes are tiny, while the contraction and perfusion of the heart chamber make optical measurement highly complex. We will ensure the system we develop minimizes this interference and captures the desired signals. OptoCarDi requires highly specialized expertise and close collaboration between researchers from different disciplines. However, if they are successful, this could lead to critical breakthroughs in the diagnosis and treatment of heart disease.

What are your steps towards this goal?

Schie: One important milestone is the development of a fiber optic probe, which will be a collaboration between AG-Schie and AG-Brunner. The development must warrant the measurement of required tissue signals under the highly demanding conditions in the heart.

Why does the project focus on myocarditis?

Schie: Myocarditis affects the heart muscle’s electrical activity and can lead to life-threatening cardiac arrhythmias. The OptoCarDi technology examines the cellular structure of the heart during myocarditis to consequently gain a better understanding of the underlying mechanisms. In the long term, this could lead to a better diagnosis and treatment of myocarditis and other heart diseases. For example, it would be conceivable to diagnose the underlying cardiac muscle changes of heart failure in this setting.

The project is labeled as an alternative approach. What makes it an alternative approach?

Schie: Unlike traditional diagnostic methods such as MRI or biopsies, the OptoCarDi project pursues an alternative diagnostic approach for myocarditis. While conventional methods provide low-resolution images of the myocardial muscle or require the extraction of tissue samples for subsequent laboratory analysis, the OptoCarDi system uses biophotonic methods to identify the chemical composition and structural morphological changes in the myocardium in vivo with high resolution. This approach might provide faster and more accurate diagnoses and minimize the risk of invasive interventions.

Are there drawbacks to the optical catheter as it pertains to diagnostics, for example?