I-Corps: Non-invasive Indirect Calorimetry using Transdermal Optical Sensors for Diagnosis and Treatment of Metabolic Diseases

这个i-Corps项目的更广泛的影响/商业潜力是开发一种光学传感器，可以实时测量燃烧的卡路里。这项拟议的技术解决了医生和营养师准确绘制患者代谢率的需求，这可能会提供信息，帮助指导适当的营养，并显著降低重症患者的成本。此外，专业运动员和健身行业的其他人可以利用这种技术来进一步发展和跟踪他们的表现，为他们的教练和运动医学人员提供关键信息。目前的标准技术，如代谢车，都很大，成本过高(5万美元)，而且需要密集的培训和人员来操作。作为一种廉价的替代方案，临床医生依靠粗略的计算和每日的体重测量来指导患者营养。这些预测方程往往不准确，而且不包容，只适用于人口的一部分。营养师很难为各种患者做出估计，特别是早产儿和肥胖、接受肝脏移植手术或患有甲状腺问题的患者。来自拟议设备的准确代谢信息可以显著提高护理质量，减少再住院率、住院时间和并发症，并有助于降低成本和积极的医疗保健结果。这一i-Corps项目基于一种光学传感器的开发，该传感器可以评估血液中特殊的气体分析物浓度，以量化最终用户的代谢率。其目标是将新陈代谢传感器作为一种可穿戴设备来测量患者四肢(手指或耳朵)的卡路里输出。代谢率传感器利用经皮或经皮的非侵入性光学传感器来测量血液中的二氧化碳(CO2)和氧气(O2)水平。通过组织的入射光与收集的光的比率将提供计算患者能量消耗所需的数据。当热量燃料在氧气存在的情况下在体内燃烧时，二氧化碳在被呼出之前就会产生。该传感器系统使用低成本发光二极管(LED)和光电二极管来测量O2和CO2光谱标记物特定波长的光的吸收和散射。从伟尔方程中采用的专有算法通过连续光谱测量来估计实时燃烧的卡路里数量。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 an optical sensor that measures calories burned in real time. The proposed technology addresses the need for physicians and dieticians to accurately map a patient’s metabolic rate, which may provide information to assist in guiding proper nutrition and significantly reduce costs in seriously ill patients. In addition, professional athletes and others in the fitness industry may utilize such a technology to further develop and track their performance, providing crucial information to their coaches and sports medicine personnel. Current standard technologies, such as the metabolic cart, are large, cost-prohibitive ($50K), and require intensive training and personnel for operation. As an inexpensive alternative, clinicians rely on crude calculations and daily weight measurements to guide patient nutrition. These predictive equations are often not accurate and are non-inclusive, only applying to a subset of the population. Dietitians struggle with making estimates for a variety of patients, especially for premature infants and patients that are obese, undergoing liver transplant surgeries, or suffering from thyroid problems. Accurate metabolic information from the proposed device may significantly increase quality of care, reduce readmission rates, length of stay, and complications, and contribute to reduced costs and positive healthcare outcomes.This I-Corps project is based on the development of an optical sensor that evaluates peculiar gas analyte concentrations in the bloodstream to quantify the end-user’s metabolic rate. The goal is to implement the metabolism sensor as a wearable device to measure calorie output from a patient’s extremity (finger or ear). The metabolic rate sensor utilizes a transdermal or transcutaneous, non-invasive optical sensor that measures carbon dioxide (CO2) and oxygen (O2) levels in the blood. The ratio of incident light to collected light through tissue will provide the data needed to calculate the patient’s energy expenditure. As caloric fuel is burned in the body in the presence of O2, CO2 is produced before being exhaled. The sensor system employs low-cost light emitting diodes (LEDs) and photodiodes to measure the absorption and scattering of light at wavelengths specific to spectral markers of O2 and CO2. A proprietary algorithm adopted from the Weir equation estimates the number of calories burned in real time from continuous spectral measurement.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.