In the movie of the month this time we explore the 3D structure of the coronary arteries and nerves within the human heart using light sheet microscopy. With the help of this technique, the cellular structures and proteins important for normal heart function and disease can be studied from a new perspective.

Everyday, the human heart pumps 7500 liters of blood containing nutrients and oxygen through our bodies. To function, the heart itself needs a constant supply of oxygenated blood, distributed through a tree of coronary arteries. When that supply is cut off it can cause a myocardial infarction, which is a common cause of death worldwide.

In this movie, created for the Human Protein Atlas by Dr Csaba Adori (Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm), light sheet microscopy is used to show the branches of coronary arteries and surrounding nerves throughout the heart in 3D, visualized through the staining of cell type specific proteins. Dr. Peder Olofsson (Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm) explains how new ways of looking at the different structures, cells and proteins of the heart can lead to better ways to diagnose, monitor and treat cardiovascular diseases.

Link to movie