Researchers announced on Wednesday that they have successfully engineered the world’s smallest pacemaker—a miniaturized heartbeat regulator, surpassing the dimensions of a grain of rice, which can be injected and manipulated via light before ultimately dissolving within the body.

Although human trials remain several years away, this wireless device has been lauded as a “transformative breakthrough” with the potential to catalyze significant advancements across various medical fields.

Currently, millions globally rely on permanent pacemakers, which administer electrical impulses to ensure proper heart rhythm.

The US-led team of scientists behind this innovation was driven by the desire to assist the approximately one percent of newborns afflicted with congenital heart defects who require temporary pacemakers during their recovery from surgery.

This novel pacemaker could also aid adults in achieving a regular heartbeat during their post-operative recuperation.

Presently, temporary pacemakers necessitate surgical procedures to attach electrodes to the heart muscle, with wires connecting to a powered device externally worn on the patient’s chest.

Once the pacemaker is deemed unnecessary, medical personnel remove the wires, a process that can occasionally lead to tissue damage.

Notably, Neil Armstrong, the first human to set foot on the Moon, succumbed to internal bleeding following the removal of his temporary pacemaker in 2012.

In contrast, the newly devised pacemaker operates wirelessly and, measuring merely one millimeter in thickness and 3.5 millimeters in length, can be accommodated within a syringe’s tip.

Designed to dissolve when no longer needed, it spares patients the invasiveness of traditional surgical interventions.

A Significant Leap Forward

The pacemaker interacts with a soft patch affixed to the patient’s chest, as outlined in a study published in the journal Nature. This patch detects irregular heartbeats and emits light signals, instructing the pacemaker to regulate the rhythm.

Powered by a galvanic cell, the device harnesses the body’s fluids to convert chemical energy into electrical impulses for cardiac stimulation. Laboratory tests have demonstrated its efficacy across various animal models, including mice, rats, pigs, and dogs, as well as in human heart tissue samples.

According to John Rogers, the principal investigator from Northwestern University, human testing may commence within two to three years. His lab has established a startup aimed at achieving this goal.

Looking ahead, Rogers noted that the underlying technology could yield innovative solutions to pressing challenges in human health.

Bozhi Tian, a researcher from the University of Chicago who has also explored light-activated pacemakers, characterized this advancement as a “significant leap forward,” emphasizing its transformative potential in medical technology.

“It represents a paradigm shift in both temporary pacing and bioelectronic medicine, paving the way for applications beyond cardiology, including nerve regeneration, wound healing, and the advent of integrated smart implants,” he stated.

Heart disease remains the foremost global cause of mortality, according to the World Health Organization.