TECMED Lab is equipped with state-of-the-art technologies spanning in vitro, ex vivo, in vivo, and clinical investigation of cardiac electrophysiology and electromechanics. Several of these platforms were developed or customized within the laboratory to integrate electrical, optical, and mechanical measurements across multiple spatial and temporal scales.
1. Multiphoton Microscopy (2020)
Our multiphoton microscopy platform was installed in 2020 within the distributed ParmaPhotonics facility. The system includes a Chameleon Discovery laser, a Nikon upright microscope, a fast resonant scanner (up to 15,000 lines/s), four visible-light detectors, and a spectral detector.
Applications. The platform supports in vivo and in vitro optogenetics, calcium-spark imaging, optical action-potential measurements, subcellular analysis of electromechanical coupling, and three-dimensional reconstruction and functional imaging of cardiac organoids.
2. MUX – Multiplexing Epicardial Mapping (2014)
MUX is a high-resolution epicardial mapping system capable of recording 16 × 16 electrograms in parallel, with sampling rates ranging from 8 to 32 kHz. The platform was customized together with Crescent Electronics and can be used for both in vivo studies and ex vivo Langendorff-perfused hearts.
Applications. MUX enables simultaneous acquisition and stimulation for spatial and temporal mapping of impulse propagation. It can be used to investigate subthreshold and suprathreshold cardiac electrical activity, excitability, refractoriness, conduction velocity, activation patterns, isochronal maps, impulse propagation, and arrhythmias.
3. ViKiE – Video Kinematic Evaluation (2016)
ViKiE (Video Kinematic Evaluation) is a contactless computer-vision technology developed at TECMED Lab to quantify tissue deformation during cardiac contraction. It provides high-spatiotemporal-resolution measurements of cardiac motion and derives kinematic parameters describing contraction, relaxation, and tissue mechanics.
Applications. ViKiE is used at both preclinical and clinical levels. In preclinical models it enables assessment of cardiac performance in situ or in Langendorff-perfused hearts and can be combined with MUX to investigate local electromechanical delay. Its high spatial and temporal resolution allows detection of small tissue deformations and quantitative analysis of displacement, velocity, and mechanical/energetic indices.
In the clinical setting, ViKiE has been deployed in the operating room through collaboration with cardiac surgery teams at the University of Verona, enabling real-time assessment of cardiac kinematics before and after surgical procedures. Applications have included Tetralogy of Fallot, coronary artery bypass grafting, hypoplastic left heart syndrome, heart transplantation, and pulmonary valve replacement.
4. LOKI – Longitudinal OptoKinematic Incubation (2021)
LOKI (Longitudinal OptoKinematic Incubation) is a TECMED Lab platform designed for long-term optical and kinematic monitoring of cardiac preparations. Developed in the LabVIEW environment, the system integrates an epifluorescence microscope, multiple LED excitation sources, and a high-resolution video camera within a cell-culture incubator.
Applications. LOKI enables longitudinal recordings over hours, days, or longer periods in beating iPSC-derived cardiomyocytes, three-dimensional cardiac organoids, and neonatal or adult cardiomyocytes. Time-lapse imaging can be performed in bright-field and fluorescence modes to investigate cell maturation, metabolism, action-potential propagation, calcium transients, ATP-related signals, nitric oxide, reactive oxygen species, and other functional readouts.
The platform can also support optogenetic and chemogenetic protocols through integrated LED and optical-fiber stimulation. Its overall goal is to enable continuous, multimodal interrogation of beating cardiac systems, from two-dimensional cultures to organoids-on-a-chip.