Project Grant R01HL181427

Federal Grant Award Summary

The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) awarded New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) a Project Grant totaling $718,678 under the Cardiovascular Diseases Research program (CFDA 93.837) beginning June 1, 2026, with a completion date of February 28, 2031. The project will develop an innovative cardiac energy harvesting (EH) strategy to extend the operational life of leadless intracardiac pacemakers. Specifically, NJIT will design advanced nanomaterials and bistable structures that integrate piezoelectric energy harvesting technology into existing leadless pacemaker designs. The technology will convert cardiac vibrational motions during the heart's diastole and systole into micro-watts of electrical power to recharge pacemaker batteries, thereby addressing the critical limitation of current devices that fail within three years despite patients living an average of 15+ years post-implantation.

This clinical translational project directly supports the NHLBI's mission to foster heart and vascular research in basic, translational, and clinical sciences. By developing a self-sustainable energy solution that utilizes the unused internal spaces within leadless pacemakers, the award aims to eliminate complications associated with external energy harvesting devices that currently require additional thoracotomy procedures. Upon successful completion, the deliverable will be an integrated piezoelectric energy harvesting system capable of seamlessly functioning within current leadless pacemaker technology, thereby significantly improving device longevity and patient quality of life.