I-Corps: Accurate, Contiguous and Portable Wireless Intraocular Contact Lens Pressure Sensors

这个i-Corps项目的更广泛的影响/商业潜力是开发一种设备来监测高眼压(眼压或眼压)，这是青光眼的唯一已知迹象，可能导致视力丧失并影响患者的生活质量。青光眼是60岁以上人群失明的主要原因，在美国大约有300万人受到青光眼的影响。预计到2020年，全球青光眼发病率将上升到7600万，到2040年，全球青光眼发病率将上升到1.12亿。不幸的是，青光眼是不可治愈的，但通过适当的治疗是可以控制的。尽管眼压是一个高度动态的参数，但常规测量无法对其进行24小时的跟踪。紧凑便携的无线隐形眼镜传感器(CLS)系统可以实现对眼压的连续、实时监测，并确保临床安全和患者舒适度。这种类型的系统也可以适用于身体其他部位的其他压力测量。该i-Corps项目基于量子力学中的奇偶时间(PT)对称性发展到射频(RF)遥测传感系统，从而实现了提高多功能零功率无线压力传感器(例如，眼内、颅内和其他生物压力)的分辨率、精度和灵敏度的新方法。具体地说，该团队的PT遥测技术采用了有源损耗补偿电路，不仅可以补偿微创微传感器的功率损耗，而且由于PT系统中发现的例外点周围的特征值分叉效应，还允许在重要生理因素变化(即更高的灵敏度)下大幅移动峰值频率。这种无线读出技术将被用来连续记录生物兼容的单片微型CLS的眼压水平，并具有更高的灵敏度和分辨率。此外，将利用机器学习和信号处理算法来解决实际眼压监测中的长期稳定性和信号漂移问题。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The broader impact/commercial potential of this I-Corps project is the development of a device to monitor high eye pressure (intraocular pressure or IOP), the only known sign of glaucoma, which could cause vision loss and influence patients’ quality of life. Glaucoma is a leading cause of blindness for people over 60 years old and affects approximately 3 million people in the USA. The incidence of glaucoma is expected to rise to 76 million by 2020 and 112 million people by 2040 worldwide. Unfortunately, glaucoma is not curable, but it is manageable with proper treatments. Although IOP is a highly dynamic parameter, conventional measurements fail to track it for a 24-hour period. A compact and portable wireless contact lens sensor (CLS) system can enable continuous, real-time monitoring of IOP and ensure clinical safety and patient comfort. This type of system could be adapted for other pressure measurements in other parts of the body as well. This I-Corps project is based on the development of parity-time (PT) symmetry in quantum mechanics into radio-frequency (RF) telemetric sensing systems, enabling new ways to enhance resolution, accuracy, and sensitivity of versatile zero-power wireless pressure sensors (e.g., intraocular, intracranial and other biological pressures). Specifically, the team’s PT telemetry technologies employed an active loss-compensation circuit, which not only can compensate the power dissipation in minimally-invasive microsensors, but also allows a large shift of peak frequency under changes in vital physiological factors (i.e., a higher sensitivity), thanks to the eigenvalue bifurcation effect around the exceptional points found in PT systems. This wireless readout technology will be exploited to continuously record IOP levels from a biocompatible, monolithically microfabricated CLS, with enhanced sensitivity and resolvability. In addition, machine learning and signal processing algorithms will be exploited to address the long-term stability and signal drift issues in the practical IOP monitoring.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.