Bioelectronic medicine: updates, challenges and paths forward

Abstract

Bioelectronic medicine continues to benefit from improved technology for neural modulation generated by the multidisciplinary team work of material scientists, electrical engineers, mechanical engineers, neuroscientists and colleagues from other disciplines (Cogan, 2008; Datta-Chaudhuri et al., 2016; Negi et al., 2010; Olafsdottir et al., 2018). The current experience with using implanted device-generated VNS in a clinical trial with patients with inflammatory bowel disease (Crohn’s disease) was summarized by Bonaz (Bonaz, 2018). In addition to the vagus nerve, interesting research focusing on clinically-relevant physiological regulation of neural activity of other peripheral nerves was also published (Jiman et al., 2018). In a related publication Guduru et al. highlighted the potential use of magnetoelectric effect of multiferroic nanoparticles (magnetoelectric nanoparticles) coupled with the ultra-fast and highly sensitive magnetic particle imaging for mapping electric field activity of the brain at the sub-neuronal level and monitoring brain electrical activity in real time (Guduru et al., 2018).