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Wearable Array for Ultrasound Stimulation on the Retina

用于视网膜超声刺激的可穿戴阵列

基本信息

批准号：
10766622
负责人：
Hamid Reza Chabok
金额：
$ 27.63万
依托单位：
PHONONZ INC
依托单位国家：
美国
项目类别：
财政年份：
2023
资助国家：
美国
起止时间：
2023-09-30 至 2024-09-29
项目状态：
已结题

来源：
https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10766622
关键词：
Acoustics Animal Model Animals Bionics Blindness Brain Clinic Clinical Complex Contact Lenses Cornea Coupling Data Deterioration Development Devices Electric Stimulation Electrodes Electronics Elements Engineered Gene Engineering Evoked Potentials Eye Focused Ultrasound Friction Future Generations Glass Goals Healthcare Industry Heating Image Implant Investigation Laboratories Macaca Marketing Mechanoreceptors Methods Modeling Neurons Ocular Prosthesis Operative Surgical Procedures Oryctolagus cuniculus Patients Pattern Perception Phase Photoreceptors Population Procedures Property Prosthesis Race Rattus Reporting Resolution Retina Retinal Degeneration Role Sampling Shapes Signal Transduction Small Business Technology Transfer Research Speed Surgeon System Technology Temperature Testing Therapeutic Effect Tissues Transducers Translating Ultrasonic Transducer Ultrasonics Validation Vision Visual Visually Impaired Persons Work absorption acoustic imaging biomaterial compatibility blind college cost cost effective design digital experience experimental study fabrication flexibility gene therapy image processing implantable device implantation in vivo lens loss of function microelectronics neural neuroregulation novel optogenetics phase 1 study product development prototype response retina implantation retinal neuron retinal prosthesis retinal stimulation sensor side effect sight restoration spatiotemporal technology validation translational applications ultrasound wearable device wireless communication

项目摘要

Retinal degeneration involving progressive deterioration and loss of function of photoreceptors is a major cause of permanent vision loss worldwide. Strategies to treat these incurable conditions incorporate retinal prostheses via electrically stimulating surviving retinal neurons with implanted devices in the eye, optogenetic therapy, and sonogenetic therapy. Existing challenges of these strategies include invasive manner, complex implantation surgeries, and risky gene therapy. Therefore, an approach that can apply directly to the naturally existing mechanoreceptors to recover visual function in blind patients is desired. For this purpose, several pioneer studies have explored the feasibility of US stimulation of the retina to potentially evoke neuron activities [1–4]. However, the lack of in vivo demonstration of vision restoration and potential pattern generation from retinal degenerative models at a high spatiotemporal resolution impeded the role of US stimulation as an efficient vision restoration approach. To move beyond these limitations, in our recent study [5], we demonstrated US as a promising approach to induce neuron activities in the Royal College of Surgeons (RCS) rat in vivo, a retinal degenerative animal model widely used for assessing therapeutic effects. Based on our previous successful demonstration, we are developing a novel wearable array for ultrasound stimulation on the retina. It should be noted that our new device is an upgraded version of previous works. Specifically, in this proposal, we are going to engineer, design, and fabricate a prototype of our device for technology validation, reliability, and functionality assessments. This device will consist of an image acquisition unit to capture the visual scenes, an image processing unit to convert visual scenes into ultrasonic stimulation patterns, and a racing ring lens ultrasound transducer array that generates patterned stimulation on the retina. The transducer is flexible and placed outside the eyeball, similar to the application of a contact lens. Ultrasound emitted from the transducer can reach the retina without passing through the lens, thus greatly minimizing the acoustic absorption in the lens. Ultimately, we hope our findings demonstrate that ultrasound stimulation of the retina is a safe and effective approach with a high spatiotemporal resolution, indicating a promising future of ultrasound stimulation as a novel and noninvasive visual prosthesis for translational applications in blind patients.

视网膜变性包括进行性恶化和光感受器功能丧失是主要的