# Non-invasive Ultrasound Stimulated Retinal Prosthesis

> **NIH NIH R01** · UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA · 2020 · $615,256

## Abstract

Abstract
Age-related macular degeneration and retinitis pigmentosa lead to loss of retinal photoreceptor cells, causing
blindness in thousands of people each year. Retinal prosthetic devices treat these incurable conditions by
electrically or chemically stimulating surviving retinal neurons with implanted devices in the eye. However,
existing devices are very expensive, invasive, and require complex implantation surgeries. Here we propose to
explore a new approach in retinal prosthetics that is entirely noninvasive. Previous studies have demonstrated
the feasibility of ultrasound to elicit neural activity in the rat hippocampus and motor cortex, and salamander
retina cell. We recently demonstrated that a focused single element ultrasound transducer can elicit spiking
activity in mammalian retinal neurons. In order to develop potential ultrasound prosthetic devices, we have to
overcome several technical challenges:
1) Engineer an ultrasound device that is safe and effective (i.e., optimized) for retinal stimulation.
2) Develop three-dimensional mapping of neural activity in the retinal neural network under acoustic
 stimulation. Such an imaging method is essential for studying the biological mechanism of ultrasound
 stimulation and functional evaluation of ultrasound stimulation protocols.
The goal of this study is to develop ultrasound stimulation by using phased array that can potentially replace
invasive prosthetic electrical stimulation for retina. The first, we will develop specialized ultrasonic single-
element transducer/phased arrays for retinal stimulation; we will design an optimal ultrasound stimulation
paradigm to produce controllable and consistent retinal responses with high spatiotemporal resolution. The
purpose of this study is two-fold: 1) to investigate biophysical mechanisms of ultrasound stimulation on retinal
neurons, and 2) to conduct functional testing of the ultrasound devices developed. Finally, in vitro and in vivo
rabbit studies using integrated ultrasound stimulation will be developed.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9902498
- **Project number:** 5R01EY030126-02
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
- **Principal Investigator:** Qifa Zhou
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $615,256
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2019-04-01 → 2023-03-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9902498

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9902498, Non-invasive Ultrasound Stimulated Retinal Prosthesis (5R01EY030126-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9902498. Licensed CC0.

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