Wearable ultrasound neuromodulation

Huiliang (Evan) Wang

Assistant Professor, Biomedical Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin

Abstract: Transcranial focused ultrasound has emerged as a promising non-invasive modality for neuromodulation, particularly for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases and psychiatric disorders. However, translation into wearable neuromodulation systems has been hindered by the bulky form factor of existing devices, as well as the dehydration and poor adhesion of conventional ultrasound coupling gels. In the first half of this talk, I will introduce a wearable, miniaturized ultrasound device comparable in size to standard EEG electrodes, integrated with a bioadhesive hydrogel to enable efficient acoustic transmission and long-term wearable somatosensory cortical stimulation. By integrating the bioadhesive hydrogel–coupled transducer with a miniaturized electronic circuit embedded in a fabric armband, this platform can also be applied to peripheral nerve stimulation for pain management. Furthermore, I will present the development of a focus-adjustable, wearable focused ultrasound patch system for deep brain stimulation, integrated with electrophysiological recording capabilities for sleep staging. In the second half of the talk, I will go a step further to describe a pathway toward minimally-invasive, genetically targeted neuromodulation using focused ultrasound. Specifically, I will highlight our recent advances in ultrasound-activated nanomaterials, including hydrogen-bonded organic frameworks (HOFs), which enable targeted neuromodulation deep within the brain while eliminating the need for implanted hardware. Finally, I will demonstrate ultrasound-activated release of local anesthetic drugs at peripheral nerves for long-term pain management.

Bio: Dr. Huiliang Wang is an Assistant Professor in the biomedical engineering department at University of Texas at Austin, where he leads his research team in the design of functional nanomaterials, electronic devices, and genetic technology in neural interface engineering. In particular, his lab focuses on the development of new tools to modulate and record neural activity using minimally invasive methods. He did his PhD in Materials Science and Engineering with Prof Zhenan Bao at Stanford University and his postdoctoral research with Prof Karl Deisseroth at Stanford Bioengineering department. He has won several awards including NSF CAREER Award, NIH R35 Maximizing Investigators’ Research Award (MIRA), The Runner-up of Science & PINS Prize for Neuromodulation, National Academy of Medicine Healthy Longevity Catalyst Award and American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) Biomedical Engineering Teaching Award.