Researchers Develop Wearable, Noninvasive Ultrasound Pacemaker
USA: Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have developed a wearable, noninvasive pacemaker that stimulates the heart using ultrasound delivered from outside the body, eliminating the need for an implanted device. This innovative approach could offer a less invasive alternative to conventional pacemakers while advancing cardiac rhythm management.
The findings, published in Nature Biomedical Engineering, are reported by Chen Gong from the Alfred E. Mann Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, USA, and colleagues. The study demonstrated that the wearable ultrasound-based pacemaker successfully synchronized heart contractions in engineered human heart cells, restored normal heart rhythms in animal models, and showed a favorable long-term safety profile.
Although conventional and leadless pacemakers have become less invasive, both still require implantation. The newly developed non-invasive ultrasound pacemaker (NUP) addresses this limitation by delivering targeted ultrasound through a wearable chest patch. The system combines wearable bioelectronics with sonogenetics, using the mechanosensitive ion channel MscL-G22S to make engineered human cardiomyocytes responsive to ultrasound, resulting in synchronized calcium signaling and coordinated contractions.
The wearable device consists of a soft hydrogel chest patch embedded with miniature ultrasound transducers that precisely deliver acoustic energy to the heart. Unlike electrical pacing, the system enables non-invasive, imaging-guided stimulation with high spatial accuracy.
To evaluate the technology, the investigators conducted experiments in engineered human heart cells, live rat models, and ex vivo porcine hearts to assess both efficacy and translational potential.
Key findings of the study include:
- The wearable ultrasound pacemaker successfully synchronized calcium signaling and contractions in engineered human cardiomyocytes expressing the MscL-G22S ion channel.
- In rat models, the device restored normal sinus rhythm in bradycardia and arrhythmia models through non-invasive cardiac pacing.
- The system achieved high spatial precision (less than 1 mm) and pacing frequencies of up to 9 Hz, allowing stimulation of different cardiac chambers.
- Long-term evaluation showed no significant adverse effects during daily use over eight months, supporting the safety of the approach.
- Genetic safety assessments revealed no evidence of off-target effects, immune responses, or pathological changes associated with sonogenetic modification.
- The technology was successfully tested in ex vivo porcine hearts, demonstrating its feasibility for human-sized cardiac applications.
The researchers noted that while the results are promising, several challenges remain before clinical use. Future studies will need to optimize gene delivery methods, validate long-term performance in large-animal models, and integrate real-time physiological feedback for closed-loop pacing.
Overall, the findings suggest that combining sonogenetics with wearable ultrasound technology could provide a non-invasive, precise, and customizable alternative to conventional pacemakers. Beyond cardiac rhythm disorders, the platform may eventually be adapted for other neurological and systemic diseases requiring targeted organ stimulation, expanding its potential role in precision medicine.
Reference:
Gong, C., Lu, G., Liu, B., Che, Z. P., Ji, J., Wei, F., Lin, J., Wan, X., Tang, S., Li, R., Song, W. J., Ma, F., Seo, J., Jung, S., Chen, J., Wang, S., Zhang, J., Sun, X., Wang, J., . . . Zhou, Q. (2026). A wearable non-invasive sonogenetic pacemaker. Nature Biomedical Engineering, 1-14. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41551-026-01673-z
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