Feedback-controlled norepinephrine stabilizes spinal cord perfusion in animal models
Published in Brain/Neurology, Ischemia, Journals, Tools.
Published October 29, 2026.
A feedback-controlled infusion system aims to stabilize blood flow after spinal cord injury. Routkevitch and colleagues report the preclinical work today in Nature Biomedical Engineering.
The system uses local perfusion measurements to adjust norepinephrine delivery, rather than relying solely on arterial blood pressure as a surrogate for the injured tissue’s circulation. Ultrasound measurements of spinal artery flow velocity provide the feedback signal.
After developing mathematical models and testing the controller in simulations, the researchers implemented it in rats and a pig model. Compared with constant dosing, feedback control reduced deviations from the selected flow target during experimentally induced blood-pressure disturbances.
In a short rodent survival experiment involving four animals per group, the approach reduced neurological worsening after hemodynamic instability. This small, brief study cannot establish lasting recovery. The pig experiments demonstrated feasibility, not clinical efficacy.
The work supports further development of organ-specific perfusion control. Human measurement feasibility was explored, but the automated treatment has not been validated as a clinical intervention for spinal cord injury.