PFI:AIR - TT: Wireless implantable pressure sensor for continuous monitoring of chronic disorders

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This PFI: AIR Technology Translation project focuses on translating the first wireless, microfabricated, microbubble-based pressure sensor for physiological monitoring to fill the current technology gap in chronic, implantable diagnostic sensors. The translated technology offers reliable pressure recordings in real-time for patients suffering from chronic, often life-long medical conditions for which elevated pressure is a risk factor or indicator, and removes the need for bulky exterior diagnostic tools. The microbubble pressure sensor has the following unique features: biocompatible construction, small footprint (less than 0.1 sq. mm.), wireless control and power, and a microbubble transduction mechanism. The microbubble transduction mechanism circumvents failures modes such as mechanical fatigue and biofouling, which plague sensors that rely on deflection in elastic membranes. These features provide for an unobtrusive, reliable implant, with greater application to chronic in vivo monitoring compared to current state-of-the-art in physiological pressure monitoring. The project will result in a working prototype pressure sensor and critical data to de-risk on-going development. This project addresses current technology gaps by integrating wireless circuitry for power and telemetry into the existing prototype microbubble transducer and by generating critical characterization data on long term accuracy, precision and repeatability, as necessary steps for translating the technology toward commercial deployment. Graduate and undergraduate researchers will work to finalize device electronics and packaging and calibrate the prototype pressure sensor with thorough benchtop testing. In addition, all personnel involved in this project, will benefit from translational education programs offered by our I-Corps node and Coulter workshop series that will expose them to customer discovery, customer interviews, Lean Startup methodology, medical device commercialization, and regulatory and reimbursement strategy. The team is collaborating with neurosurgeons at the Children's Hospital Los Angeles; they will provide guidance in design and deployment of biomedical technologies for hydrocephalus. The team will also leverage industry connections and technology commercialization programs for guidance and training on commercialization, manufacturing, and financing as they pertain to the potential to translate the technology into a competitive commercial reality. The potential economic and societal impact of this project include greater US competitiveness in biomedical sensing technology, and the improvements in healthcare quality and reductions in healthcare cost realized by new clinical pressure sensors, that offer data driven diagnostics and timely medical interventions for chronically suffering patients.