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Updated: Jun 19, 2026
Implantation and Control of Wireless, Battery-free Systems for Peripheral Nerve Interfacing
Published on: October 20, 2021
Untethered thin-film neurostimulator wrapped around tiny nerve trunks for wireless neuromodulation
Renyuan Sun1, Wenyuan Wang2, Wenliang Liu1
1National Engineering Research Center for Nanomedicine, Research Center for Intelligent Fiber Devices and Equipment, State Key Laboratory of New Textile Materials and Advanced Processing, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430074, China.
We developed the NeuroWrap Ultrasonic Stimulator (NWUS), a wireless device for precise nerve stimulation. This technology offers a stable solution for treating refractory diseases by avoiding nerve damage from wires.
Area of Science:
- Biomedical Engineering
- Neuroscience
- Immunology
Background:
- Precise neuromodulation for refractory diseases is challenging due to the fragility of tiny peripheral nerves.
- Long-term stable stimulation is difficult to achieve with existing technologies, risking nerve damage.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop an untethered, self-adhesive neurostimulator for conformal wrapping around tiny nerve trunks.
- To demonstrate the efficacy of wireless neuromodulation for treating experimental autoimmune myocarditis.
Main Methods:
- Development of the NeuroWrap Ultrasonic Stimulator (NWUS), an ultrasound-responsive acoustoelectric converter.
- Chronic vagus nerve stimulation in a rat model of experimental autoimmune myocarditis.
- Assessment of cardiac function, inflammatory markers, and immune cell populations.
Main Results:
- The NWUS provides effective wireless electrical stimulation with optimized impedance matching.
- Wireless neuromodulation restored left ventricular function in rats with autoimmune myocarditis.
- Therapy suppressed proinflammatory cytokines and macrophage infiltration while promoting regulatory T cells.
Conclusions:
- The NWUS offers a promising solution for untethered, long-term neuromodulation of delicate nerve trunks.
- This technology enables effective wireless electroceutical therapy for inflammatory conditions like autoimmune myocarditis.
