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Integrated Circuits for Implantable Electronics and Medical Applications

A special issue of Electronics (ISSN 2079-9292). This special issue belongs to the section "Circuit and Signal Processing".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 April 2026) | Viewed by 675

Editors


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Guest Editor
Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering, University of Cagliari, Piazza D’Armi, 09123 Cagliari, Italy
Interests: analog integrated circuits; implantable electronics; electrical stimulation; sensory feedback; PCB design

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering, University of Cagliari, Piazza D’Armi, 09123 Cagliari, Italy
Interests: implanted electronics

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The development of future medical devices inevitably involves designing innovative integrated circuits. Developments in bionics and precision medicine are closely linked to innovation in the field of implantable and wearable electronics. Advanced circuit techniques are therefore essential to ensure the reliability, miniaturization, and long-term stability of biomedical systems capable of safely interfacing with the human body. Integrated circuits for power harvesting, biopotential acquisition, and neural stimulation are just some examples of devices currently needed for the future development of medical devices. In this sense, this Special Issue aims to collect works that demonstrate innovation in the design and implementation of integrated circuits in CMOS and BiCMOS technology for medical and implantable applications.

Specifically, innovative contributions might include the development of new architectures or the introduction of unique applications that address current challenges in the field, with particular regard to the following:

  • Wireless Power Transfer and Energy Harvesting: Power converters, linear regulators, and rectifiers;
  • Wireless Communication: Modulation and demodulation circuits;
  • Analog front ends for signal acquisition: Signal conditioning and data converters;
  • Nerve stimulation: Electrical stimulation circuits and sensory feedback strategies.

Researchers, circuit designers, and professionals from academia and industry are invited to submit original research papers and reviews that advance the field of integrated circuits for implantable biomedical systems.

Dr. Riccardo Collu
Prof. Dr. Massimo Barbaro
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • analog integrated circuits
  • CMOS
  • BiCMOS
  • implantable electronics
  • wearable electronics

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Review

31 pages, 1333 KB  
Review
Integrated Electronic Architectures for Spinal Cord Stimulation: Toward Miniaturized, Adaptive, and Energy-Efficient Neural Implants
by Rahul Burra, Arun K. Movva, Joshua M. Tennyson, Shawn J. Yates, Michael O. Sohn, Austin R. Chen, Brett Rocos and Albert T. Anastasio
Electronics 2026, 15(11), 2484; https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics15112484 - 5 Jun 2026
Viewed by 336
Abstract
“Spinal cord stimulation (SCS)” is an established therapy for chronic pain and an emerging modality for functional recovery after spinal cord injury (SCI) and other clinical applications. Despite its clinical potential, current implantable SCS systems remain constrained by high power consumption, limited adaptability, [...] Read more.
“Spinal cord stimulation (SCS)” is an established therapy for chronic pain and an emerging modality for functional recovery after spinal cord injury (SCI) and other clinical applications. Despite its clinical potential, current implantable SCS systems remain constrained by high power consumption, limited adaptability, device size, and long-term stability. Recent advances in closed-loop neuromodulation and integrated circuit (IC) design are enabling more adaptive, efficient, and miniaturized SCS systems. This narrative review focuses on integrated circuit and system-on-chip (SoC) architectures that enable more advanced closed-loop SCS modalities, including stimulation, sensing, and wireless power/data subsystems. Specifically, the present work examines stimulation drivers and charge-balancing circuits that ensure safe and precise current delivery, wireless power transfer, telemetry methods which maintain reliable energy and data flow in implanted systems, and analog front-end circuits that enable closed-loop biopotential monitoring for adaptive feedback control. It aims to highlight innovations in IC design, energy harvesting, and wireless communication strategies while discussing trade-offs in power efficiency, die area, thermal limits, and biocompatibility. Emerging trends emphasize miniaturized and adaptive neural implants that integrate circuit-level efficiency with therapeutic flexibility, thereby advancing the next generation of closed-loop neuromodulation technologies. Ultimately, innovations in microelectronics are paving the way for enhanced long-term efficacy, safety, and clinical applicability of implantable SCS systems to optimize functional impacts. Full article
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