A groundbreaking wireless implant promises real-time, personalised pain relief using AI and ultrasound power, no batteries, no wires, and no opioids. Designed by University of Southern California (USC) and University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) engineers, it reads brain signals, adapts on the fly, and bends naturally with your spine.
This groundbreaking
device, detailed in Nature Electronics, represents a significant leap forward
in pain therapy. While current spinal cord stimulators can be unwieldy and are
hard-wired to batteries, the new device is designed to bend and twist with
movement and is powered by a wearable ultrasound transmitter without the need
for a battery.
It also harnesses machine learning algorithms to
customise treatment for each patient. The work was led by Zohrab A. Kaprielian
Fellow in Engineering Qifa Zhou, who is also a professor of ophthalmology at
the Keck School of Medicine of USC.
At the heart of
this innovation is its wireless power supply, eliminating the need for bulky
batteries and complex wired interfaces that often require repeated surgeries.
The UIWI stimulator receives its energy from an
external, wearable ultrasound transmitter (WUT).
Ultrasound offers a safe,
effective, non-invasive method for deep-tissue penetration. The device converts
mechanical waves into electrical signals through a phenomenon called the
piezoelectric effect.
The core of the UIWI stimulator is a miniaturised
piezoelectric element made from lead zirconate titanate (PZT), a highly
efficient material for converting incoming ultrasound energy into the
electrical power needed for stimulation.
"What truly sets this device apart is its
wireless, smart and self-adaptive capability for pain management," Zhou
said. "We believe it offers great potential to replace pharmacological
schemes and conventional electrical stimulation approaches, aligning with
clinical needs for pain mitigation."
Ph.D. candidate in the Zhou Lab and lead author
Yushun (Sean) Zeng said the wireless smart miniaturized stimulator had the
ability to produce sufficient electrical stimulation intensity by using
ultrasound energy, resulting in a more personalized, targeted and localized
treatment.
"This energy-converting type is critical for
deep stimulation, as ultrasound is a non-invasive and highly penetrating energy
in clinical and medical areas," Zeng said.
"By leveraging wireless ultrasonic energy
transfer and closed-loop feedback system, this UIWI stimulator removes the
necessity for bulky implanted batteries and allows for real-time, precisely
adjustable pain modulation," added Zeng.
"From a clinical standpoint, incorporating
deep learning-based pain assessment enables dynamic interpretation and response
to fluctuating pain states, which is essential for accommodating
patient-specific variability," added Zhou Lab Ph.D. candidate Chen Gong,
also a lead author on the paper.
The system continuously monitors brain
recordings, specifically electroencephalogram (EEG) signals, which reflect a
patient's pain levels.
Harnessing AI to assess pain levels: A sophisticated
machine learning model, based on a neural network called ResNet-18, analyzes
these brain signals and classifies pain into three distinct levels: slight
pain, moderate pain, and extreme pain.
This AI model boasts a 94.8% overall accuracy in
distinguishing between these pain states. Adapting treatment as needed: Once a
pain level is identified, the wearable ultrasound transmitter automatically
adjusts the acoustic energy it transmits.
The UIWI stimulator can then sense the propagated
energy and convert it into electrical intensity, stimulating the spinal cord.
This creates a closed-loop system that provides real-time, personalised pain
management.
The UIWI stimulator itself is flexible, bendable,
and twistable, allowing for optimal placement on the spinal cord. The
electrical stimulation it provides to the spinal cord works by rebalancing the
signals that transmit and inhibit pain, effectively suppressing the sensation
of pain.
Demonstrated Success in the Lab The Zhou Lab team
tested the UIWI stimulator in rodent models, with results demonstrating its
effectiveness for pain management.
Researchers successfully relieved chronic
neuropathic pain caused by both mechanical stimuli (like a pin prick) and acute
thermal stimuli (infrared heat).
Lab tests showed that treatment from the UIWI stimulator led to significant reductions in pain indicators. In one experiment to evaluate whether an animal associates an environment with pain relief, rodents showed a clear preference for the chamber where the pain management system was activated, further confirming the device's effectiveness. (ANI)
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