Cardiovascular diseases, including heart failure, arrhythmias, and myocardial infarctions continue to be a significant global health concern, leading to a high morbidity and mortality rate. There is a pressing need to address these challenges by accurately mapping and modulating cardiac physiology. Existing implantable devices are widely used for electrical mapping and stimulation of the heart. However, these devices are designed for long-term use and often require surgical extraction, leading to additional risks and costs for patients.
Researchers at George Washington University and Northwestern University have developed a novel bioresorbable, transparent, microelectrode arrays device for cardiac applications. This state-of-art technology offers unique advantages, as it can be implanted temporarily to monitor and treat cardiac conditions, such as postoperative arrhythmias and heart failure, and then self-eliminate via natural metabolic mechanisms, eliminating the need for surgical retrieval. The bioresorbable MEA provides high-fidelity electrical and optical mapping of cardiac dynamics, enabling the investigation of critical parameters like heart rhythm, metabolic activity, calcium homeostasis, and myocardial conduction.
A Schematic illustration of a MEA on a heart, device consists of Mo nanogrid microelectrodes.
Soft, bioresorbable, transparent microelectrode arrays for multimodal spatiotemporal mapping and modulation of cardiac physiology. Zhiyuan Chen, Zexu Lin, Sofian N Obaid, Eric Rytkin, Sharon A George, Christopher Bach, Micah Madrid, Miya Liu, Jessica LaPiano, Amy Fehr, Xinyu Shi, Nathaniel Quirion, Benjamin Russo, Helen Knight, Anthony Aduwari, Igor R Efimov, Luyao Lu. Sci Adv. 2023 Jul 7;9(27).