For decades, pacemakers have helped millions of people live longer and healthier lives.
These small devices are implanted inside the body and send electrical signals to the heart when its natural rhythm becomes too slow or irregular.
Pacemakers are considered one of the most successful medical technologies ever developed. They have saved countless lives by helping the heart maintain a healthy beating pattern.
Despite their success, traditional pacemakers still require surgery. Doctors must place the device inside the chest and connect wires to the heart. While the procedure is generally safe, it carries risks such as infection, bleeding, and complications related to the implanted hardware. For years, scientists have searched for a way to regulate the heart without surgery.
Now, researchers at MIT may have taken a major step toward that goal. They have developed a small wearable device that uses ultrasound instead of electrical wires to stimulate the heart. The technology could eventually provide a completely noninvasive alternative to traditional pacemakers.
The new device looks like a small sticker that can be attached to the chest. Embedded inside the sticker are tiny ultrasound generators called transducers.
These components send carefully controlled ultrasound waves through the chest and toward the heart. Unlike traditional pacemakers, which deliver electrical impulses through implanted wires, the new system uses sound waves to influence heart cells.
The research team discovered that ultrasound waves can trigger the opening of special channels on heart cells. When these channels open, calcium enters the cells. Calcium plays a critical role in heart contractions because it signals the cells to squeeze and produce a heartbeat.
To make the process more effective, the researchers used a technique called sonogenetics. This approach involves making cells more sensitive to sound. The scientists genetically modified heart cells so they would respond more strongly to ultrasound stimulation. As a result, the cells became much easier to control using low-intensity sound waves.
The team first tested the approach in the laboratory using human heart cells that had been created from stem cells. When ultrasound was applied, the modified cells contracted in rhythm with the sound pulses. The response was much stronger than in cells that had not been genetically altered.
After seeing success in the laboratory, the researchers moved on to animal studies. They developed a miniature version of the ultrasound sticker and attached it to the chests of rats. The results were encouraging. The device quickly corrected abnormal heart rhythms and restored healthy heartbeats without surgery or direct contact with the heart.
The researchers envision a future in which patients might receive a one-time gene therapy treatment to increase the sensitivity of heart cells to ultrasound. Afterward, a wearable sticker could be used to regulate heart rhythm whenever needed. Such an approach could eliminate many of the challenges associated with implanted pacemakers.
The project builds on earlier work from the same research team. Previously, they created wearable ultrasound devices capable of imaging organs deep inside the body. Their long-term goal is to combine both technologies into a single system.
One sticker could continuously monitor the heart while also providing treatment whenever abnormal rhythms are detected.
This would create what scientists call a closed-loop system. Instead of waiting for symptoms to appear, the device could automatically detect problems and respond immediately. Such technology could improve patient safety and reduce the need for repeated hospital visits.
The potential applications may extend far beyond heart disease. Because ultrasound can safely travel through many types of tissue, similar devices could eventually be used to monitor and treat disorders affecting other organs and systems throughout the body.
However, important challenges remain before the technology can be used in people. The current findings come primarily from laboratory and animal studies. Researchers still need to demonstrate that the approach is safe, effective, and reliable in human patients. Regulatory approval and large clinical trials will also be necessary.
If you care about health, please read studies about the benefits of low-dose lithium supplements, and what we know about egg intake and heart disease.
For more health information, please see recent studies about potatoes and high blood pressure, and results showing 6 best breads for people with heart disease.
The study was published in Nature Biomedical Engineering.
