Biomedical Engineering and Bioengineering Commons^™

Computational Optogenetics: Empirically-Derived Voltage- And Light-Sensitive Channelrhodopsin-2 Model, John C. Williams, Jianjin Xu, Zhongju Lu, Aleksandra Klimas, Xuxin Chen, Christina M. Ambrosi, Ira S. Cohen, Emilia Entcheva

Department of Biomedical Engineering Faculty Publications

Channelrhodospin-2 (ChR2), a light-sensitive ion channel, and its variants have emerged as new excitatory optogenetic tools not only in neuroscience, but also in other areas, including cardiac electrophysiology. An accurate quantitative model of ChR2 is necessary for in silicoprediction of the response to optical stimulation in realistic tissue/organ settings. Such a model can guide the rational design of new ion channel functionality tailored to different cell types/tissues. Focusing on one of the most widely used ChR2 mutants (H134R) with enhanced current, we collected a comprehensive experimental data set of the response of this ion channel to different irradiances and voltages, …