Closed-Loop Visceral Bioelectronics Therapies

Abstract

Bioelectronic therapy has a potential to revolutionize medicine as an alternative to drug-based interventions, reducing cost of healthcare and providing new treatments for chronic or previously incurable diseases. It employs neurotechnology to interface with the nervous system and restore or regulate affected functions. The neuromodulation therapies have traditionally targeted larger and more accessible targets such as brain, spinal cord, or somatic nerves and worked in an open-loop fashion. The new generation of bioelectronics involve miniaturized, closed-loop control systems, that allow for targeting small visceral nerves for more effective and personalized treatments. In this chapter we review the novelty and benefit of visceral nerves bioelectronics therapy, based on several different approaches to closing the bioelectronics loop in cardiopathy, type 1 diabetes, respiration, and bladder management. The last section examines the importance of interdisciplinary research, current engineering challenges, and future directions of closed-loop visceral neuromodulation.