I-Corps: Non-invasive, multimode, hand-held technology for wound assessment

I-Corps项目更广泛的影响/商业潜力是开发一种多模式光学成像系统，该系统可以定量测量组织生物标记物，以表征糖尿病伤口的愈合情况。在美国，糖尿病伤口每年影响800多万名患者，估计经济负担约为300亿美元。对综合成像工具的需求尚未得到满足，这些工具可以非侵入性地测量多个生物标志物，阐明糖尿病伤口的潜在组织变化，并为个体化治疗提供解剖学和功能信息。此外，需要客观的伤口评估工具，为临床医生和护理人员提供快速、定量的方法来确定伤口愈合/未愈合状态。拟议的设备有可能评估发生溃疡的风险，对溃疡状态进行分级，以及量化几个生物标志物以帮助指导治疗。此外，这项技术不仅可以应用于糖尿病足溃疡，还可以应用于烧伤伤口、手术伤口、压疮，甚至截肢部位。这一好处可能会影响伤口诊所、家庭卫生机构和长期护理设施。这个i-Corps项目是基于非侵入性、多模式、手持技术的开发，该技术结合了热、反射和荧光成像，以提供对组织代谢状态、组织氧合、血管系统和温度指数的活体评估。拟议的技术可以用于提供治疗计划，这些计划可以调整并记录在患者的电子病历中，以便为决策提供信息。对生物标志物的监测可以为临床医生提供伤口愈合过程中并发症的早期迹象，导致更清晰和更有效的干预或伤口护理制度的改变。在伤口护理领域已经有了技术上的进步。然而，大多数监测技术都集中在单一的生物标志物上。这项拟议的技术旨在通过结合几个生物标记物的测量来填补空白，从而对伤口进行更全面的评估。生物标志物加上LED和相机技术的最新进展使多模式设备现在成为可能。这一奖项反映了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 multimodal optical imaging system that quantitatively measures tissue biomarkers to characterize healing in diabetic wounds. Diabetic wounds in the US affect more than eight million patients annually with an estimated economic burden of around $30 billion. There is an unmet need for comprehensive imaging tools that can non-invasively measure multiple biomarkers, elucidate underlying tissue changes in diabetic wounds, and provide anatomical and functional information for individualized therapy. In addition, there is a need for objective wound assessment tools to furnish clinicians and caregivers with fast and quantitative methods of determining wound healing/nonhealing status. The proposed device has the potential to assess the risk of developing ulcers and to grade the status of an ulcer as well as to quantify several biomarkers to help guide treatment. Additionally, this technology may be applied to not only diabetic foot ulcers but also burn wounds, surgical wounds, pressure ulcers, and even amputation sites. The benefit may impact wound clinics, home health institutions, and long-term care facilities. This I-Corps project is based on the development of a non-invasive, multimodal, hand-held technology that combines thermal, reflectance, and fluorescence imaging to provide in vivo evaluation of tissue metabolic state, tissue oxygenation, vasculature, and temperature indices. The proposed technology may be used to provide treatment plans that can be adjusted and documented in a patient’s electronic medical record to inform decision-making. Monitoring of biomarkers may give clinicians early indication of complications during wound healing, leading to clearer and more effective interventions or changes in the wound care regime. There have been technological advances within the field of wound care. However, most monitoring technologies focus on a single biomarker. The proposed technology aims to fill in the gaps by combining the measurements of several biomarkers to give a more complete assessment of a wound. The combination of biomarkers plus recent advances in LED and camera technology have allowed for a multi-modal device to now be possible.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.