# Injectable Hydrogel Electrodes to Prevent Ventricular Arrhythmias

> **NIH NIH R01** · UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT AUSTIN · 2024 · $564,151

## Abstract

Injectable Hydrogel Electrodes to Prevent Ventricular Arrhythmias
In the United States, sudden cardiac death accounts for 350,000 deaths per year with the leading cause being
lethal ventricular arrhythmias. The underlying electrophysiologic derangement mechanistically responsible for
ventricular arrhythmias is delayed conduction velocity in scarred or otherwise diseased myocardium. Access to
the smaller vessels and tributaries that cross over scarred region of the heart could provide improved pacing;
however, there are no pacing leads small enough to navigate these smaller tributaries. In this research, we
propose a novel method to treat and manage ventriculararrhythmias – developmentof a newconductive material
that can fill both large and small coronary vessels and convert these tributaries into flexible electrodes to restore
capture across regions of scarring. Our collaborative team that combines clinical expertise (Razavi) and
biomaterial science (Cosgriff-Hernandez) has demonstrated early feasibility of pacing myocardium with an in situ
curing hydrogel in a pig model. We plan to build on this initial proof of concept to develop a combined material
and delivery system that can interface with existing pacemaker technology to greatly expand their capability to
treat ventricular arrhythmias. Upon successful completion of these aims, we will have utilized a battery of in vitro
and in vivo tests to establish the safety and efficacy of this new injectable hydrogel electrode. Confirmation of
increased activation area as compared to standard-of-care single point pacing will validate the efficacy of this
innovative approach to eliminate the conduction delay in scarred myocardium that results in lethal ventricular
arrhythmias. We will use a post-myocardial infarct model to demonstrate that hydrogel electrode pacing reduces
the frequency of ventricular arrhythmias and defibrillation shocks. Painless stimulation of wide areas of the heart
using planar wavefront propagation from these hydrogel electrodes provides a new cardiac resynchronization
therapy that will alter the landscape of cardiac rhythm management.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10760326
- **Project number:** 5R01HL162741-02
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT AUSTIN
- **Principal Investigator:** Elizabeth Marie Cosgriff-Hernandez
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $564,151
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2023-01-05 → 2026-12-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10760326

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10760326, Injectable Hydrogel Electrodes to Prevent Ventricular Arrhythmias (5R01HL162741-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-25 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10760326. Licensed CC0.

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