Seizure Control Without Surgery: New Approaches Explained
- Researchers have demonstrated a nonsurgical way to quiet a seizure-relevant brain circuit in an animal model.
- The research shows that a one-time, targeted procedure can modulate a specific brain region without affecting off-target areas of the brain.
- "Many neurological diseases are driven by hyperactive cells at a particular location in the brain," says study lead Jerzy Szablowski, assistant professor of bioengineering and a member of...
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Nonsurgical seizure Control Demonstrated with Focused Ultrasound and Gene Therapy
What Happened: Targeted Brain Modulation Without Surgery
Researchers have demonstrated a nonsurgical way to quiet a seizure-relevant brain circuit in an animal model. The team used low-intensity focused ultrasound to briefly open the blood-brain barrier (BBB) in the hippocampus, delivered an engineered gene therapy only to that region, and later flipped an on-demand “dimmer switch” with an oral drug.
The research shows that a one-time, targeted procedure can modulate a specific brain region without affecting off-target areas of the brain.
The Science behind the Breakthrough: Acoustically Targeted Chemogenetics (ATAC)
“Many neurological diseases are driven by hyperactive cells at a particular location in the brain,” says study lead Jerzy Szablowski, assistant professor of bioengineering and a member of the Rice University Neuroengineering Initiative.
“Our approach aims the therapy where it is needed and lets you control it when you need it, without surgery and without a permanent implant.”
The work builds on nearly a decade of innovation by Szablowski and his team. The group’s acoustically targeted chemogenetics (ATAC) method merges ultrasound,gene therapy and chemogenetics-a technique that equips selected neurons with engineered receptors so they can be activated or silenced by a specific drug-into a single tool that makes possible precise control over brain circuits without surgery.
How ATAC Works: A Step-by-Step Process
- Microbubble Injection: Microscopic gas-filled bubbles are injected into the bloodstream.
- focused Ultrasound: Low-intensity ultrasound waves are directed at the hippocampus.
- Blood-Brain Barrier Opening: The microbubbles oscillate against blood vessel walls, creating temporary, nanometer-scale openings in the BBB.
- Gene Therapy Delivery: Engineered gene delivery vectors are delivered through the opened BBB, targeting specific neurons.
- On-Demand Control: An oral drug activates or silences the engineered receptors, modulating brain activity.
Understanding the Blood-Brain Barrier (BBB)
The blood-brain barrier is a highly selective semipermeable border of endothelial cells that prevents solutes in the circulating blood from non-selectively entering the central nervous system, where neurons reside. While crucial for protecting the brain, it also presents a notable challenge for delivering therapies to treat neurological disorders. The ATAC method provides a