Wireless electrical stimulation mediated by piezoelectric nanomaterials and ultrasound constitutes an innovative paradigm enabling the induction of electrical cues within the body in a localized, wireless, and minimally invasive fashion.
A review article on this new hot topic was recently published on ACS Nano by researchers from The BioRobotics Institute of Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology and the Catalan Institution for Research and Advanced Studies.
The paper highlights the fundamental mechanisms of acoustically mediated piezoelectric stimulation and its applications in the biomedical area, by reviewing the main results achieved in the field and the open challenges that may guide future research efforts toward the translation of this technology to the clinical scenario.
“Piezoelectric nanoparticles activated by external ultrasound (US) constitute a unique paradigm to induce a localized and wireless electrical stimulation within the body. With this work we propose a roadmap that may guide future research efforts toward the adoption of this technology in a clinical practice” said Andrea Cafarelli, first author of the paper.
The paper is supported by the EU-funded H2020 ADMAIORA research project under the coordination of the Sant’Anna School Biorobotics Institute.
Click here to view the “ Piezoelectric Nanomaterials Activated by Ultrasound: The Pathway from Discovery to Future Clinical Adoption” paper – Authors: Andrea Cafarelli, Attilio Marino, Lorenzo Vannozzi, Josep Puigmartí-Luis, Salvador Pané, Gianni Ciofani, and Leonardo Ricotti