Andor's laser spinning disk system with a high speed, ultrasensitive digital camera has helped US researchers to capture the first pictures of intercellular calcium signalling in blood vessel walls.
The study will provide insights into blood vessel disease.
The researchers, led by Prof Mark Nelson from the Vermont University and Prof Michael Kotlikoff from Cornell University, used an Andor Technology Revolution XD microscopy system with iXonEM+ 897 back-illuminated EMCCD camera to detect calcium release (sparks) released from inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate receptors (IP3Rs) in arterial, interior wall cells (endothelium).
Nelson attributes the team's success to the Andor laser confocal system and a tissue model developed by Kotiloff's team.
The tissue expressed a calcium biosensor (GCaMP2) exclusively in its endothelium allowing calcium signalling between endothelium and smooth muscle cells to be more easily observed.
Acquiring at 15-30fps, with Andor iQ software the team was able to record stationary calcium signals, which they named 'calcium pulsars' because they had a frequency similar to celestial pulsars and occur near black holes in the internal elastic lamina (IEL).
