Feinstein Institutes Study Focused Ultrasound to Regulate Blood Sugar After Surgery
Researchers and clinicians at Northwell Health’s Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research are breaking new ground in the field of bioelectronic medicine, exploring the use of focused ultrasound (FUS) to manage insulin levels and blood sugar after surgical procedures. Their recent findings, published in the open-access journal Bioelectronic Medicine, highlight the promise and complexity of using noninvasive neuromodulation techniques to influence metabolic function.
A New Approach to Post-Surgical Blood Sugar Management
Surgical stress often disrupts normal metabolic regulation, resulting in hyperglycemia—dangerously high blood sugar levels. This is especially concerning for patients with diabetes or insulin resistance. Conventional treatments rely heavily on medication, which can carry risks and side effects. The Feinstein Institutes’ latest research seeks a safer and more targeted alternative using focused ultrasound, a technology that activates nerves without incisions or drugs.
The team targeted the superior mesenteric plexus (SMP)—a complex bundle of nerves in the abdomen that includes branches of the vagus nerve, which communicates with organs like the pancreas and liver. These organs play a vital role in glucose regulation, influencing insulin production and sensitivity.
“Managing disorders associated with high blood sugar, including hyperglycemia after surgery, is a critical challenge, and current methods often fall short,” said Dr. Stavros Zanos, MD, PhD, professor at the Institute of Bioelectronic Medicine and the study’s corresponding author. “This research explores FUS, a new method for noninvasive neuromodulation, that may offer a potential pathway towards safer and more effective blood sugar control without the use of medications.”
Promising but Complex Early Results
Using animal models, the researchers applied focused ultrasound to the SMP and monitored changes in insulin sensitivity—the body’s ability to respond to insulin and regulate glucose. Initially, the results were encouraging. FUS improved insulin sensitivity during surgery, suggesting that activating the nerve bundle could help the body process blood sugar more efficiently during periods of physiological stress.
However, when researchers tested the animals’ blood sugar levels 24 hours after surgery, they made a surprising discovery: the FUS-treated group had higher blood sugar levels than the control group. This unexpected outcome suggests that, while FUS might boost insulin sensitivity in the short term, it could disrupt the body’s longer-term glucose regulation mechanisms.
“Our next steps involve optimizing the parameters of FUS—such as intensity, duration, and timing—so that we can maintain its initial benefits without the rebound increase in blood sugar,” said Dr. Zanos. “We also need to better understand the biological pathways and feedback loops that are influenced by this nerve stimulation.”
The Role of the Vagus Nerve in Blood Sugar Control
The vagus nerve plays a central role in regulating many essential body functions, including digestion, heart rate, and immune response. Importantly, vagus nerve reflexes help regulate insulin secretion and blood glucose levels, making it an attractive target for noninvasive stimulation technologies.
“Dr. Zanos’ use of focused ultrasound is paving the way for new methods to stimulate the vagus nerve,” said Dr. Kevin J. Tracey, president and CEO of the Feinstein Institutes and Karches Family Distinguished Chair in Medical Research. “Since vagus nerve reflexes control blood glucose and insulin levels, I expect these results will generate widespread interest from scientists, physicians, and future patients.”
Bioelectronic Medicine: Healing Through the Nervous System
The Feinstein Institutes are internationally recognized leaders in bioelectronic medicine, a field that merges neuroscience, molecular biology, and biomedical engineering to treat disease by modulating nerve activity rather than relying solely on drugs or surgery.
Over the past decade, researchers at the Institutes have mapped neural pathways that control inflammation and immune responses. By applying electrical or acoustic stimulation to these pathways—such as through vagus nerve implants or focused ultrasound—they have demonstrated the ability to reduce harmful inflammation associated with diseases like:
- Rheumatoid arthritis
- Inflammatory bowel disease
- Pulmonary hypertension
- Diabetes
- Autoimmune conditions
“By controlling inflammation through neuromodulation, we can reduce the need for immunosuppressive drugs and their side effects,” said Dr. Sangeeta S. Chavan, PhD, a professor at the Institute and a leading contributor to the research.
Pioneering Human Trials and Future Possibilities
Beyond animal studies, Dr. Zanos and Dr. Chavan have already taken steps toward clinical application. In a recent first-in-human trial, they used focused ultrasound to stimulate the spleen in healthy volunteers. The result was a measurable decrease in levels of tumor necrosis factor (TNF)—a key inflammatory protein—in the blood for over two hours. This small but groundbreaking trial proved that FUS can noninvasively modulate immune function in people.
These advances suggest that neuromodulation devices could one day become standard tools in treating a wide array of diseases—not just through pills or surgery, but by precisely targeting the body’s own nervous system.
A Vision for Drug-Free Disease Treatment
The Feinstein Institutes’ vision is bold: to replace or supplement pharmaceuticals with electronic or acoustic stimulation that taps into the body’s built-in communication systems. Whether by stimulating nerves to produce insulin or modulating immune responses to reduce inflammation, bioelectronic medicine may offer a path to safer, more effective, and more personalized care.
“By producing new knowledge in bioelectronic medicine,” Dr. Tracey said, “we are creating the foundation for a future in which disease and injury can be treated using the body’s own nervous system—without the side effects of many conventional drugs.”
Looking Ahead
The work by Dr. Zanos, Dr. Chavan, and their colleagues is still in its early stages, but it has already opened up new possibilities for treating post-surgical hyperglycemia, and perhaps even chronic metabolic conditions like type 2 diabetes. As the team continues to refine their approach and prepare for broader clinical studies, the potential for noninvasive, nerve-based therapies becomes increasingly real.
Focused ultrasound and other bioelectronic tools may soon become vital components of future medicine—not just as alternatives to medication, but as transformative technologies that change how we heal.
About the Feinstein Institutes
The Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research is the home of the research institutes of Northwell Health, the largest health care provider and private employer in New York State. Encompassing 50+ research labs, 3,000 clinical research studies and 5,000 researchers and staff, the Feinstein Institutes raises the standard of medical innovation through its six institutes of behavioral science, bioelectronic medicine, cancer, health system science, molecular medicine, and translational research. We are the global scientific leader in bioelectronic medicine – an innovative field of science that has the potential to revolutionize medicine.
The Feinstein Institutes publishes two open-access, international peer-reviewed journals Molecular Medicine and Bioelectronic Medicine. Through the Elmezzi Graduate School of Molecular Medicine, we offer an accelerated PhD program. For more information about how we produce knowledge to cure disease, visit http://feinstein.northwell.edu and follow us on LinkedIn.
