en.Wedoany.com Reported - Researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), the University of Southern California (USC), and other institutions have collaborated to develop a novel wearable patch device that uses ultrasound for non-invasive cardiac pacing.
Traditional implantable pacemakers have saved millions of lives (approximately 3 million adults in the United States currently use them), but they still carry risks as invasive implants. The dream of this research is to achieve non-invasive cardiac stimulation through ultrasound. The newly designed device is a small patch worn on the chest. Micro-transducers on the patch send ultrasonic pulses through the chest. These ultrasound waves trigger the opening of genetically engineered ion channels in heart cells, allowing calcium ions to flow in, thereby instructing the heart cells to contract and beat.
The researchers applied sonogenetics methods to amplify the effects of ultrasound on the heart. This approach follows the principles of optogenetics, using genetic manipulation to make cells responsive to sound, including ultrasound. In the laboratory, they differentiated heart cells from embryonic stem cells and genetically modified them to increase sensitivity to ultrasound. Experiments showed that genetically modified heart cells exposed to ultrasound beat in sync with the sound waves, while unmodified cells showed no such response.
In rat experiments, the researchers injected a sonogenetic ultrasound-enhancing solution via the tail vein, then attached the miniature pacemaker patch to the rat's chest. When the patch was activated, the ultrasound quickly regulated the animals' heart rates. Individuals with excessively slow or irregular heartbeats all returned to normal, regular cardiac contractions. The research team believes this step could be translated clinically as a form of gene therapy, enabling a non-invasive pacemaker.
The prototype created by the team includes an ultrasound patch roughly the size of a postage stamp and a small pocket-sized device containing batteries and electronic components. The adhesive part of the patch is made of a hydrogel material that firmly adheres to the skin and allows ultrasound to pass through without attenuation. The same team previously demonstrated a patch design that uses ultrasound to image deep organs and tissues. They now plan to combine both methods into a single ultrasound patch to simultaneously monitor and regulate cardiac activity. Professor Xuanhe Zhao stated that one day, people could wear patches on different parts of their bodies for long-term imaging, monitoring, and closed-loop therapeutic stimulation.
The research findings were published in the journal Nature Biomedical Engineering. MIT co-authors include first author Chen Gong, as well as Runze Li, Won Jun Song, former postdoctoral fellow Gengxi Lu, Shucong Li, and Hsiao-Chuan Liu. Other collaborators come from Harvard University, the University of California at Los Angeles, and multiple research groups at the University of Southern California (USC). The research was supported by the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation, and other institutions.
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