I-Corps: Sonic compression device to treat lymphedema

I-Corps：治疗淋巴水肿的声波压缩装置

• 批准号: 2146679
• 负责人: Raj Rao
• 金额: $ 5万
• 依托单位: University of Arkansas
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2021
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2021-12-01 至 2022-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2146679&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Corps; Sonic; compression; device; treat

The broader impact/commercial potential of this I-Corps project is the development of a device to treat chronic lymphatic system failure (lymphedema). An estimated 10 million Americans are affected by lymphedema while two-thirds of all cases are cancer-related. Lymphedema is a chronic condition that prevails throughout the patient’s lifetime, and passive treatment methods, such as compression devices, are routinely used to treat the condition. However, currently patient compliance is a problem. The proposed device is intended only to be worn for a short period of time unlike compression stockings and is expected to improve patient compliance and satisfaction. Current sequential compression devices are reported to be uncomfortable, which also results in reduced patient compliance. The ergonomic design of the proposed device may be more comfortable, which is expected to result in increased patient compliance.This I-Corps project is based on the development of a technology to treat lymphedema. The proposed device is designed to create 20,000 compressions per minute, whereas the currently marketed sequential compression device only creates 1 compression per minute. The core technology produces sound waves in a novel pattern of microcurrents to move fluid. The sound wave technology may be used to treat lymphedema, edema, fibrosis, fibromyalgia, and venous insufficiency in various tissues that include lymph, nervous, connective, and muscular tissue. This device has been tested in silico and data support the proposed mechanism of action, and the therapeutic effects have proven successful in a human model. The goal is improved lymphatic return to reduce the girth of the limb and improve function thereby alleviating symptoms of lymphedema.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.

这个i-Corps项目的更广泛的影响/商业潜力是开发一种治疗慢性淋巴系统衰竭(淋巴水肿)的设备。估计有1000万美国人受到淋巴水肿的影响，而所有病例中有三分之二与癌症有关。淋巴水肿是一种在患者一生中普遍存在的慢性疾病，被动的治疗方法，如压迫装置，通常被用来治疗这种疾病。然而，目前患者的依从性是一个问题。与压缩长袜不同，这种装置的目的是只穿很短的一段时间，预计将提高患者的依从性和满意度。据报道，目前的顺序按压装置不舒服，这也会导致患者依从性降低。建议的设备的人体工程学设计可能会更舒适，这有望提高患者的依从性。这个i-Corps项目是基于一种治疗淋巴水肿的技术的开发。所提出的设备被设计为每分钟产生20,000次压缩，而目前市场上销售的顺序压缩设备每分钟只产生1次压缩。这项核心技术以一种新颖的微电流模式产生声波来移动流体。声波技术可用于治疗淋巴组织、神经组织、结缔组织和肌肉组织中的淋巴水肿、水肿、纤维化、纤维肌痛和静脉功能不全。这种设备已经在硅胶中进行了测试，数据支持所提出的作用机制，治疗效果在人体模型中被证明是成功的。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。