Real-Time Melatonin Monitor to Diagnose Sleep Disorders

随着老年人口的不断增长，监测与年龄相关的生理因素变得越来越重要。与年龄相关的一个主要问题与睡眠的数量和质量有关。许多商业设备监测生理夜间活动（即活动图、脑电图、肌电图、眼电图、呼吸等），然而，没有商业设备可用于连续、无创、近实时监测血液中的化学物质。松果体激素，褪黑激素，遵循一个典型的昼夜节律时间模式。血浆褪黑激素浓度被用作睡眠的相关指标，外源性应用已被用于改善睡眠的质量和数量。当代关于褪黑素对睡眠的因果影响的研究需要抽取血液、唾液或尿液，然而，这些技术都需要受试者付出努力，导致与正常睡眠模式的偏离。AST建议开发一种连续的、接近实时的、非侵入性的血液化学物质监测仪，包括褪黑激素（以及无数其他生物分子），在活动或睡眠中获得。该装置将适用于老年人（和儿科）人群的大规模筛查，具有执行器调节外源性褪黑激素管理的潜力。拟议的商业应用：除了用于老年患者睡眠障碍的研究外，该设备还具有监测活跃的流动成人和儿童的电解质、激素、治疗药物、滥用药物和环境毒素浓度的潜力。半导体制造适于以极低的成本进行大规模生产。这种一次性设备将用于临床和家庭医疗保健市场。长期销售额估计为每年数百万美元。

With an ever-growing elderly population, it is becoming increasingly important to monitor physiological correlates associated with age. One major problem associated with age revolves around quantity and quality of sleep. Many commercial devices monitor physiometric nocturnal activity (i.e. actigraphy, EEG, EMG, EOG, respiration, etc.), however, there are no commercial devices available for continuous, non-invasive, near real-time monitoring of chemicals in the blood. The pineal hormone, melatonin, follows a characteristic circadian temporal pattern. Plasma melatonin concentrations are utilized as a correlate indicating sleep, and exogenous application has been utilized in the attempt to improve the quality and quantity of sleep. Contemporary studies on the causal effects of melatonin on sleep require drawing of blood, saliva, or urine, however, each of these techniques require effort on the part of the subject, causing deviation from normal sleep patterns. AST proposes to develop a continuous, near real-time, non-invasive monitor for blood borne chemicals, including melatonin (as well as a myriad of other biological molecules), obtained during activity or sleep. This device will be amenable to mass screening of the elderly (and pediatric) population, with the potential for actuator regulated exogenous melatonin administration. PROPOSED COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS: In addition to utilization for the study of sleep disorders in elderly patients, this device has the potential to monitor concentrations of electrolytes, hormones, therapeutic drugs, drugs of abuse, and environmental toxins in active ambulatory adults and children. Semiconductor manufacture is amenable to mass production at very low cost. This disposable device will be available for the clinical and home health care markets. Long term sales are estimated to be in the millions per year.