Sonogenetics is a novel antiarrhythmic treatment

TL;DR

This paper introduces sonogenetics, a noninvasive ultrasound-based method to treat heart arrhythmias by stimulating specific ion channels, offering a potentially safer and more flexible alternative to implantable defibrillators.

Contribution

It presents a novel sonogenetic technique that uses focused ultrasound to noninvasively restore heart rhythm by targeting endogenous ion channels, with a developed interdisciplinary model supporting its safety.

Findings

Ultrasound parameters are within FDA safety limits.

The method can dynamically target different heart regions.

Potential for noninvasive, adjustable arrhythmia treatment.

Abstract

Arrhythmia of the heart is a dangerous and potentially fatal condition. The current widely used treatment is the implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD), but it is invasive and affects the patient's quality of life. The sonogenetic treatment technique proposed here focuses transthoracic ultrasound on the heart, noninvasively stimulates endogenous stretch-activated Piezo1 ion channels on the focal region's cardiomyocyte plasma membrane, and restores normal heart rhythm. In contrast to anchoring the implanted ICD lead at a fixed position in the myocardium, the size and position of the ultrasound focal region can be selected dynamically by adjusting the signal phases of every piezoelectric chip on the wearable ultrasonic phased array, and it allows novel and efficient defibrillations. Based on the developed interdisciplinary electromechanical model of sonogenetic treatment, our analysis shows that the proposed ultrasound intensity and frequency will be safe and painless for humans and well below the limits established by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.