# A Rational Engineering Design Approach to Minimizing the Off-Target Effects of Baroreceptor Activation Therapy

> **NIH NIH R01** · UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-MADISON · 2022 · $663,655

## Abstract

Abstract
Despite improvements in medical management, hypertension still affects >25% of adults, and 20 to 30% of
them are resistant to pharmacological treatment. Similarly, heart failure patients with reduced ejection fraction
continue to exhibit dramatically reduced life expectancy, frequent hospitalization, and overall poor quality of
life. Chronic electrical stimulation of the baroreflex at the carotid sinus—known as baroreflex activation therapy
(BAT)—is FDA-approved to mitigate the marked sympathetic activation associated with both hypertension and
heart failure. BAT was demonstrated in multiple controlled clinical trials to produce sustained significant
improvements in both hypertension and heart failure outcomes in patients non-responsive to traditional medical
management; however, the therapy is limited by side effects. We propose an integrated approach to mitigate
side effects and thereby improve the therapeutic efficacy of BAT.
We seek to determine the functional neuroanatomy responsible for the side effects of BAT and to use these
data to design and test approaches for more effective BAT neural interfaces. These optimized designs will
expand the therapeutic window between baroreceptor activation and limiting off-target effects. The outcomes
of this project will produce an optimized BAT interface design that could be quickly translated to address a
clear clinical need. In addition, we will provide a needed framework for incorporation of local neural and tissue
anatomy—which govern therapy-limiting side effects—into the neural interface design process that can be
readily applied to myriad neuromodulation therapy targets.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10500491
- **Project number:** 1R01EB033403-01
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-MADISON
- **Principal Investigator:** Kip A Ludwig
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $663,655
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2022-07-01 → 2026-03-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10500491

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10500491, A Rational Engineering Design Approach to Minimizing the Off-Target Effects of Baroreceptor Activation Therapy (1R01EB033403-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10500491. Licensed CC0.

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