Smart pacemaker technology project awarded €5m

The technology will aim to predict neuron behaviour using multiple sensors.

The University of Bath will lead a consortium for a €5 million research project to develop smart pacemaker technology for heart disease treatment.

The funding from the H2020 Future Emerging Technology programme of the European Commission will enable the development, testing and validation of fit-and-forget bio-electronic implants that respond to physiological feedback in real time.

The team at the university has developed physical models capable of predicting neuron behaviour and small neural devices that have proved effective in reversing the effects of heart failure.  The consortium will allow the collaboration of resources needed to expand the research and translate it into therapies for chronic cardiorespiratory disease.

Current pacemakers rely on sensors like accelerometers to determine the level of cardiac activity needed, which occasionally provide inadequate adaptation. However, the smart technology will rely on multiple sensors to provide a more physiological response for the patient and better diagnostic tools for the physician. In addition, a number of chronic diseases, such as heart failure, currently have no cure through existing approaches.

A critical point of the project will be to make use of the principles of nonlinear science, as nonlinear systems are ubiquitous in biology, meaning that outputs from systems do not vary proportionally to inputs. Designing a pacemaker using technology mimicking neurons will let the pacemakers respond to inputs nonlinearly, realistically and appropriately for the patient by processing data streams from multiple sensors.

Dr Alain Nogaret from the university’s department of physics said: “This is an exciting research area where physics and physiology come together beautifully.”

The technology aims to provide therapies for cardiac arrhythmias, heart failure and other conditions such as sleep apnoea and hypertension, extending patients’ lifespans and improving quality of life, according to the university.