Pumped Up – How Worms Mimic Heart Rhythms to Test Nanotech

Show notes

In this episode, we ask: can a heartless worm model arrhythmia? Turns out — yes. Using Caenorhabditis elegans as a stand-in for cardiac muscle, researchers tested the effects of polypyrrole nanoparticles (Ppy NPs) on pharyngeal pumping rhythms, revealing fascinating insights into how bioengineered materials might impact human-like tissues.

We explore:

• How the worm pharynx mimics cardiac function

• Why mutants with sluggish pumps were rescued by Ppy NPs

• Long-lasting effects, even after the nanoparticles were expelled

• Calcium imaging showing altered Ca²⁺ dynamics in real time

• The power of C. elegans for safe-by-design nanomedicine screening

📖 Based on the research article:

“Arrhythmic Effects Evaluated on Caenorhabditis elegans: The Case of Polypyrrole Nanoparticles”

Sumithra Yasaswini Srinivasan, Pilar Alvarez Illera, Dmytro Kukhtar, et al.

Published in ACS Nano (2023).

🔗 https://doi.org/10.1021/acsnano.3c05245

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