[CCoE Notice] ECE Seminar: Giorgio Bonmassar, “Metamaterial Deep Brain Stimulation Electrodes for Safe Magnetic Resonance Imaging and the Pathway for an FDA Approval"

[Greenwell, Stephen J]

[cid:image001.png at 01DB7321.A14F85E0]Giorgio Bonmassar, Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Radiology
Harvard Medical School
Director, Analog Brain Imaging Laboratory
The Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging at Massachusetts General Hospital

Date               Friday, February 7, 2024
Time               11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
Location        Melcher Hall, Room 180

Title: Metamaterial Deep Brain Stimulation Electrodes for Safe Magnetic Resonance Imaging and the Pathway for an FDA Approval


Abstract: Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) leads are essential for treating neurological conditions like Parkinson's disease. Still, their limited compatibility with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) restricts many patients with intracranial implants from using advanced functional MRI diagnostics, a standard and widely used medical diagnostic tool. Our research aims to resolve this quandary by developing a novel method to fabricate microwires for DBS leads, ensuring their safety with MRIs up to 3T (MRI conditional). Drawing inspiration from oceanic science, particularly the concept of clapotis—standing ocean waves—and the way caisson-type breakwaters with rubble-mound beams disrupt these waves, our technology employs a sharp interface between two metal segments on a non-conductive substrate. This design interrupts radiofrequency-induced currents, effectively reducing electrode heating, specific absorption rate (SAR), and MRI artifacts.

In my presentation, I will discuss the fabrication of metamaterial fibers at CNS, utilizing established techniques such as Ion Beam Physical Vapor Deposition (PVD) and Reactive Ion Etching (RIE). These fibers represent an advanced nanoscale thin-film metamaterial technology designed for MRI cloaking, offering the significant advantage of not requiring additional space within the brain, as when using additional RF limiting current components (e.g., chokes). Additionally, I will detail the regulatory steps we are taking toward obtaining an Investigational Device Exemption (IDE) from the Food and Drug Administration for a Class III implantable device. This technological development could significantly improve the diagnostic capabilities of MRI for patients with DBS implants and propel the progress in Active Implantable Medical Devices (AIMDs). Furthermore, in my presentation, I will briefly introduce other ongoing research projects in the Abilab, including microscopic magnetic stimulation (μMS) and high-frequency transspinal magnetic stimulation (HF-TSMS). Unlike traditional electrical stimulation, μMS offers the unique capability to activate specific neuronal elements based on the orientation of the applied magnetic fields. HF-TSMS integrates the benefits of high-frequency neuromodulation, traditionally used in invasive spinal cord stimulation therapies, into a non-invasive platform targeting spinal structures. These technologies highlight the lab's commitment to advancing non-invasive neuromodulation techniques to address critical neuroscience and clinical medicine challenges.

Bio: Dr. Giorgio Bonmassar is an Associate Professor of Radiology at Harvard Medical School and the Director of the Analog Brain Imaging (ABI) Laboratory at the Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH). He is a Division of Sleep Medicine Faculty member at Harvard Medical School. He is the Chair of the IEEE P2010 standard (Recommended Practice for Neurofeedback Systems, now published). He completed his initial Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering at the University of Rome "La Sapienza" in 1989 and a second Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering from Boston University in 1997. His career includes roles as a Systems Engineer at Ericsson, a Research Fellow at Boston University and MGH, and an Instructor of Radiology at MGH before becoming an Assistant Professor in 2005 and later an Associate Professor in Radiology in 2017.

Dr. Bonmassar has been a leading Principal Investigator on numerous grants from the National Institutes of Health and the Department of Defense. He led as a Principal Investigator in U01, RO1, R18, R21, RO3, R43/44 (SBIR), Shared Instrumentation (S10), Brain Initiative (R01), DoD (ONR and CIMIT/Army), and Foundation (Whitaker, Focused Ultrasound Foundation, CIMT) grants. He has authored over 100 international journal papers in biomedical engineering. He is a member of the IEEE, the International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine, and the Alfa Eta Mu Beta Biomedical Engineering Research Society. His awards include a North American Treaty Organization Advanced Research Studies Award, a Whitaker Foundation Biomedical Engineering Grant for Young Investigators, and the Academy for Radiology & Biomedical Imaging Research Distinguished Investigator Award in 2020.

Dr. Bonmassar's significant contributions to bioelectromagnetic research include the development of MRI-invisible microelectrodes, detailed in a 2008 Science publication that explored sensory modulation in monkeys. His 2019 Science paper demonstrated increased CSF flow during sleep using EEG-fMRI. His pioneering work designing and manufacturing MRI-safe microstrips for EEG and Deep Brain Stimulation has led to the significant advancement of MRI-compatible electrophysiology. He is a co-founder of eMRI Systems LLP, a recent startup for developing electrophysiology systems for MRI.

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