I-Corps: Assessment of metabolic health using a nuclear magnetic resonance relaxometry device

I-Corps项目更广泛的影响/商业潜力是开发一种使用核磁共振弛豫仪的非侵入性技术，为医疗、健康和健身专业人员提供客户代谢健康的即时反馈。这种反馈可以定期评估推荐的营养和/或运动方案的有效性。通过获取和使用核磁共振弛豫测量数据，个人可能有一种方法来可视化和理解他们的新方案是否以及如何导致他们的新陈代谢变化。利用这些反馈，个人可以积极地影响他们的整体健康，并有选择对他们的生活习惯做出明智的决定。该技术为终端用户提供了一种快速、无痛地测量代谢健康的方法，而无需采集血液样本。I-Corps项目开发了一种非侵入性、紧凑型核磁共振（NMR）时域技术，用于测量人体手指脂肪组织中脂肪酸的流动性。该设备在桌面设备中使用低场永磁体，并使用核磁共振松弛仪测量参数，主要测量富含甘油三酯的细胞内油滴。脂质和脂蛋白在组织中的流动性是了解其物理性质和生物功能的重要参数。该技术量化脂肪组织参数，反映组织中顺式不饱和脂肪与饱和脂肪和反式脂肪的比例。人群研究表明，摄入更多的顺式不饱和脂肪酸与更好的健康结果和降低冠心病风险有关。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值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 to develop a non-invasive technique using a nuclear magnetic resonance relaxometry device to provide medical, health, and fitness professionals with instant feedback on the metabolic health of their clients. This feedback enables regular assessment of the effectiveness of recommended nutrition and/or exercise regimens. By obtaining and using the NMR relaxometry data, individuals may have a way to visualize and understand if and how their new regimens result in changes to their metabolism. Using this feedback, individuals can positively impact their overall well-being and have options to make informed decisions about their lifestyle habits. The technology provides end-users with a method that measures metabolic health quickly and painlessly, without a blood sample.This I-Corps project develops a non-invasive, compact nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) time domain technology to measure the fluidity of fatty acids in adipose tissue in a person's finger. The device uses low-field permanent magnets in a table-top device and measures parameters using NMR relaxometry to predominately measure the triglyceride-rich intracellular oil droplets. The fluidity of lipids and lipoproteins in tissues is an important parameter in understanding physical properties and biological functions. This technology quantifies adipose tissue parameters that reflect the ratio of cis-unsaturated to saturated and trans-fats in the tissue. Population studies indicate higher intake of cis-unsaturated fatty acids is associated with better health outcomes and decreased risk for coronary heart disease.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.