Neurosensory Prosthetics: An Integral Neuromodulation Part of Bioelectronic Device

Bioelectronic medicines (BEMs) constitute a branch of bioelectronic devices (BEDs), are a class of therapeutics that combine neuroscience with molecular biology, immunology, and engineering technologies. Thus, BEMs are the culmination of the thought processes of scientists of varied fields and herald a new era in the treatment of chronic diseases. BEMs work on the principle of neuromodulation of nerve stimulation. Examples of BEMs based on neuromodulation are those which modify neural circuits through deep brain stimulation, vagal nerve stimulation, spinal nerve stimulation, retinal and auditory implants. BEDs may also serve as diagnostic tools by mimicking human sensory systems. Two examples of in-vitro BEDs used as diagnostic agents in biomedical applications based on in-vivo neuro-sensory circuits, are the bioelectronic nose and bioelectronic tongue. The review discusses the ever-growing applications of BEDs to a wide variety of health conditions and practices to improve quality of life.