Sonogenetics is a novel antiarrhythmic mechanism

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 mechanism proposed here focuses ultrasound on a cardiac tissue, controls endogenous stretch-activated Piezo1 ion channels on the focal region's cardiomyocyte sarcolemma, 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 signals of every piezoelectric chip on the ultrasonic phased array, and it allows novel and efficient defibrillations. Based on the developed interdisciplinary electro-mechanical 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.