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Passive Monitoring to Active Regulation: Closed-Loop Piezoelectric Theranostic Platform Enabling On-Demand Vagus
Guangyan Liu1, Tianyou Xu2,3,4, Liping Zhou2,3,4
1Henan Province Engineering Research Center of Smart Micro-nano Sensing Technology and Application, School of Physics and Electronics, Henan University, Kaifeng 475000, P. R. China.
ACS Nano
|August 7, 2025
Summary
This study introduces a novel theranostic platform for inappropriate sinus tachycardia (IST). The device actively regulates heart rhythm through vagus nerve stimulation, offering a new treatment for cardiac arrhythmia.
Area of Science:
- Biomedical Engineering
- Cardiovascular Research
- Neuroscience
Background:
- Inappropriate sinus tachycardia (IST) presents diagnostic and therapeutic challenges due to its paroxysmal nature and limited treatment options.
- Current management relies on passive monitoring, lacking active regulation capabilities.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop and evaluate a closed-loop theranostic platform (TP-IST) for real-time monitoring and on-demand treatment of IST.
- To investigate the efficacy of vagus nerve stimulation via an implantable piezoelectric fiber patch (iPFP) in terminating tachycardia.
- To assess the impact of TP-IST on sympathetic nervous system activity.
Main Methods:
- Development of an implantable piezoelectric fiber patch (iPFP) for heartbeat sensing and an implantable real-time transceiver (iRT) for signal processing and vagus nerve stimulation.
- Utilizing hot-press-treated piezoelectric fibers for enhanced sensing performance.
- Evaluating biocompatibility through cytotoxicity and tissue inflammation assessments.
- Testing the TP-IST system in a large animal model.
Main Results:
- The iPFP demonstrated outstanding sensing performance, accurately capturing heartbeats.
- The TP-IST system effectively terminated IST episodes on demand.
- Prolonged intervention downregulated c-fos and nerve growth factor (NGF) in sympathetic neurons, reducing sympathetic-induced IST severity.
- Biocompatibility assessments showed minimal cytotoxicity (>90% cell viability) and negligible inflammation.
Conclusions:
- The developed TP-IST platform offers a safe and effective solution for terminating IST.
- This active regulation approach represents a significant advancement in cardiovascular disease management.
- The study provides innovative guidance for treating cardiac arrhythmias.
