CyberGut: a wireless closed-loop system to adjust stomach stimulation for better motility
Official title: SCH: CyberGut: Cyber-Physical System for Closed-Loop Control of Gastric Motility
Funded at University of Maryland Baltimore County · NIH-11387574 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A wireless, implantable system aims to automatically record stomach activity and deliver personalized electrical stimulation to improve gastric movement for people with gastroparesis and related disorders.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Maryland Baltimore County NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Baltimore, United States) |
| Project start | September 1, 2025 |
| Project end | August 31, 2029 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $293,775 |
| NIH project number | 5R01EB038701-02 |
| Project ID | NIH-11387574 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Adults with gastric motility disorders such as gastroparesis or chronic nausea who may benefit from device-based therapy.
✕Less likely to help
Patients not suitable for implantable hardware or those without gastric motility disorders may not benefit.
What this research studies
CyberGut pursues a self-adjusting, implantable setup that can read stomach electrical signals and provide tailored stimulation. Researchers will create millimeter-scale wireless implants, develop organ models and machine-learning algorithms, and integrate these components into a functioning closed-loop system. The goal is to move away from one-size-fits-all therapy toward adaptive therapy that responds to a patient’s real-time stomach activity. This work combines engineering, computational modeling, and clinical insight to improve how gastric motility disorders are treated. If successful, the system could offer more consistent symptom relief with fewer invasive procedures.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, patients could experience more reliable stomach movement and symptom relief from a smarter, less invasive therapy.
How similar studies have gone: Previous work in gastric stimulation is largely open-loop; this project’s closed-loop approach is a novel advancement with promising early signals in related systems.
Where this research is happening
-
University of Maryland Baltimore County
Baltimore, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Kiani, Mehdi — University of Maryland Baltimore County
- Study coordinator: Kiani, Mehdi
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.