Bioelectronic device that delivers pulsed electricity could help treat drug-resistant hypertension

Several medications are available to treat high blood pressure, but more than 10 million Americans do not respond to the treatments, according to the American Heart Association. Using a bioelectronic device to deliver pulsed electricity to the body has proven to be a promising strategy to treat drug-resistant hypertension patients, according to Penn State researcher Tao Zhou, although he noted that its practical application in patient care has significant limitations. 

Zhou, assistant professor of engineering science and mechanics and of biomedical engineering, received a five-year, $1.83 million grant from the U.S. National Institutes of Health to develop a soft and stretchable tissue-like electronic device for the treatment of resistant high blood pressure. 

In a Q&A with Penn State News, Zhou -; who is a co-hire with the Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences and the Materials Research Institute as part of the Center for Neural Engineering -; discussed the specifics of the grant. 

Q: What are the limitations of existing non-medication-based strategies that treat high blood pressure? 

Zhou: Existing devices have significant limitations that precludes their practical application. They are made of stiff materials and unable to stretch in response to the carotid artery wall's periodic expansion and contraction, which can cause tissue damage and inflammation. Devices also must be sutured to the carotid artery wall, which introduces further damage to the tissue on which they were implanted. Overall, these limitations can cause significant patient discomfort, illness and failure of devices over time. 

Q: How does electrical stimulation of the neck reduce blood pressure in patients? 

Zhou: Electrical stimulation of relevant nerves on the neck can activate the baroreflex, which can modulate patient blood pressure. 

Q: What will be the key features of your device, and how will it benefit hypertension patients? 

Zhou: We adopt soft and stretchable yet resilient hydrogel-based materials for the fabrication of the devices to better match the mechanical properties of tissues and to reduce tissue damage and inflammation after implantation. Owing to its intrinsic stretchability, the whole device can deform as the artery wall expands and contracts, thus minimizing constraint and damage to the carotid artery. We also will adopt a bioadhesive component in the proposed system to eliminate the need for suturing electrical devices on carotid artery walls, thus significantly decreasing the invasiveness of implanted devices and increasing the safety, stability and functionality of the device. 

Q: Who are your collaborators on the grant, and what will they contribute to this work? 

Zhou: Collaborators on the grant include John Bisognano, clinical professor of cardiovascular medicine and internal medicine the University of Michigan, and Umar Farooq, associate professor of nephrology at the Penn State College of Medicine. They are experts in resistive hypertension and provide clinically relevant insights on this project.