Researchers at NYU Abu Dhabi reported a seed-sized injectable device that stimulates peripheral nerves and is powered wirelessly from outside the body. The team published the work in Science Advances and says the Stimulating Electrode for Electroceutical Delivery (SEED) can be injected with a standard needle and tracked by clinical imaging such as ultrasound or CT.
The SEED is about the size of a small seed, the authors wrote. Once placed beside a target nerve it delivers mild electrical pulses that can be adjusted in real time using an external battery worn on the wrist. The external unit supplies power wirelessly and lets clinicians or patients change stimulation settings without additional surgery.
The device has only been tested in laboratory rats so far. In those preclinical tests the team reported precise, consistent control over peripheral nerve stimulation. “By creating a device that can be injected rather than surgically implanted, we are making these therapies simpler, safer, and more accessible, while still maintaining precise control over nerve activity,” said Khalil Ramadi, PhD, assistant professor of bioengineering at NYU Abu Dhabi and senior author on the paper.
First author Mohamed Elsherif, PhD, said the approach could sit between non‑invasive devices and traditional implants: “It opens the door to treatments that are both effective and easy to deliver, which could significantly improve patient care.” The researchers noted the next preclinical steps will likely include tests in larger animals such as pigs or sheep.
The team cautioned that clinical use will require regulatory approval and is at least five to ten years away. The paper also notes similar efforts elsewhere, including a rice‑grain‑sized device under development at Rice University to treat neuropathic pain; that device has not been tested in humans either.
For now the SEED represents a preclinical, targeted approach to peripheral neuromodulation rather than a near‑term clinical option.
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Tags: injectable implant, peripheral nerve stimulation, wireless power, preclinical (rats), NYU Abu Dhabi
Topics: Neuromodulation, Neuroprosthetics & neural implants, Wearable neurotech