Innovations in Cardiac Conduction System Imaging and Therapy with Dr. Goodyer

In this episode, we explore how groundbreaking scientific advancements are providing solutions to prevent injury to the cardiac conduction system (CCS) during heart surgeries, a critical yet elusive network of cells embedded within the heart. Our guest, Dr. Goodyer, is leading the charge in this domain.Dr. Goodyer's team has engineered targeted antibody-dye conjugates that specifically bind to the CCS, enabling its visualization in mice in vivo with high sensitivity, specificity, and resolution. This development provides the potential to avoid accidental damage to the CCS during cardiac procedures.Expanding on this innovation for human use, Dr. Goodyer's team developed a fully human monoclonal Fab that targets the CCS with high specificity. Interestingly, this Fab can also be used to modulate CCS biology when linked to a different cargo, paving the way for potential targeted cardiac therapies.Furthermore, through differential gene expression analysis of the entire murine CCS at single-cell resolution, the team identified and validated a set of additional cell surface markers. These can molecularly target distinct subcomponents of the CCS, aiding in the management of specific, life-threatening arrhythmias.Join us as we delve into the intricacies of these breakthroughs with Dr. Goodyer and discuss their potential to revolutionize cardiac imaging, cardiothoracic surgery, and arrhythmia management.Keywords: Cardiac Conduction System, Cardiac Surgery, Antibody-Dye Conjugates, Monoclonal Fab, CCS Imaging, Targeted Cardiac Therapies, Arrhythmia.In vivo visualization and molecular targeting of the cardiac conduction system. J Clin Invest. 2022 Aug 11:e156955. doi: 10.1172/JCI156955. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 35951416.