Feinstein Institutes Scientists Discover Way to Activate Blood Clotting Via Bioelectronic Medicine

For centuries, stopping severe bleeding has relied on physical pressure or surgery. That could soon change, though.

A study from Northwell Health’s Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research indicates that a small, wearable device placed on the ear can activate the vagus nerve and accelerate clot formation, thus offering new hope against life-threatening hemorrhage.

This first-in-human mechanistic study, recently published in the journal Bioelectronic Medicine—an open-access journal and part of BMC Springer Nature—demonstrates that non-invasive electrical stimulation applied to the ear can safely improve blood clotting in healthy adults. Led by Jared M. Huston, M.D.; Lionel Blanc, Ph.D.; and Carlos E. Bravo-Iñiguez, M.D., Ph.D.; this research marks a significant step forward for the Neural Tourniquet, which aims to leverage the body’s nervous system to control hemorrhage, according to Feinstein Institutes. The study utilized Spark Biomedical’s transcutaneous auricular neurostimulation (tAN) platform, a proprietary technology that engages the vagus and trigeminal nerves through the ear.

“Imagine a non-painful technology that taps into the body’s own healing powers and saves a person from bleeding to death,” said Dr. Huston, professor of Surgery and Science Education in the Department of Surgery at Northwell and Institute of Bioelectronic Medicine at the Feinstein Institutes. “With this study, we have more confidence that bioelectronic medicine is safe to use for the treatment of bleeding conditions and I hope to conduct additional studies to develop this potential treatment.”

The trial examined whether auricular neurostimulation can regulate blood biomarkers that promote clotting, thereby slowing or stopping uncontrolled bleeding. This non-invasive approach holds significant potential across critical clinical scenarios: traumatic injuries on the battlefield or other traumas, surgical complications, bleeding disorders such as hemophilia and von Willebrand disease, and postpartum hemorrhage, the leading cause of maternal deaths worldwide. Because the devices are compact and portable, they can be deployed where and when they are needed most, a meaningful advance for emergency care and the ongoing management of bleeding conditions.

“For the first time, we’ve demonstrated that Spark’s core technology, transcutaneous auricular neurostimulation (tAN), can engage neural pathways to enhance platelet function in humans,” stated Navid Khodaparast, Ph.D., chief science officer and co-founder at Spark Biomedical. “This scientific advancement lays the foundation for an entirely new class of bioelectronic therapies designed to control bleeding.”

These findings expand on years of work at the Feinstein Institutes in bioelectronic medicine, a field that uses electrical signals to treat diseases. Previous studies by Dr. Huston and his team have shown that vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) can reduce blood loss in animal models by as much as 75%. The vagus nerve influences many vital bodily functions, including inflammation and blood clotting, making it a compelling therapeutic target for non-invasive neuromodulation approaches.

The study evaluated two distinct auricular stimulation modalities: transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation (taVNS) and tAN, which combines vagal and trigeminal nerve stimulation. Both successfully activated platelets, increasing their readiness to respond to injury. Specifically, taVNS accelerated the initiation, propagation, and stabilization of blood clots. Both modalities were well-tolerated with no adverse events and, critically, did not cause unwanted systemic changes or generalized hypercoagulability.

“This study reveals that bioelectronic medicine can engage neural circuits to enhance the therapy for hemorrhage,” commented Kevin J. Tracey, M.D., president/CEO of the Feinstein Institutes and Karches Family Distinguished Chair in Medical Research. “This is a major advance to understanding new potential treatments for life-threatening bleeding.”

The Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research is the global scientific home of bioelectronic medicine where medical researchers use modern technology to develop new device-based therapies to treat disease and injury. Built on years of research in molecular mechanisms of disease and the link between the nervous and immune systems, its researchers discover neural targets that can be activated or inhibited with neuromodulation devices, such as vagus nerve implants, to control the body’s immune response and inflammation. If inflammation is successfully controlled, diseases—such as arthritis, pulmonary hypertension, Crohn’s disease, inflammatory bowel diseases, diabetes, cancer and autoimmune diseases—can be treated more effectively.

Beyond inflammation, using novel brain-computer interfaces, Feinstein Institutes researchers developed techniques to bypass injuries of the nervous system so that people living with paralysis can regain sensation and use their limbs.

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. The Feinstein Institutes publishes two open-access, international peer-reviewed journals Molecular Medicine and Bioelectronic Medicine. Through the Elmezzi Graduate School of Molecular Medicine, the Feinstein Institutes offer an accelerated Ph.D. program.