High Sensitivity, 2-D Solid State Sensor Array/Rapid MCG

描述（由申请人提供）：心磁图（MCG）已被证明可为人类和动物提供强大的疾病检测和诊断能力，包括标测心脏缺血区域和监测心律失常的能力，这些能力是标准ECG和超声心动图难以实现的。胎儿心磁图（fMCG）已成功地用于子宫内胎儿心律失常和其他疾病的非侵入性研究。然而，由于与心脏相关的磁场非常小，当前的MCG系统使用超导量子干涉器件（SQUID）作为传感器。制造和使用SQUID的复杂性，包括线圈，屏蔽，冷却和电子设备，使它们非常昂贵。这些局限性阻碍了MCG实现广泛的临床应用。RMD提出了一种新的固态，高密度，2-D传感器阵列，将彻底改变MCG技术，使其既可用于人类受试者的临床环境，也可用于动物研究，以开发新的治疗方法和药物。所提出的技术将使大面积、高密度、2-D传感器阵列成为可能，以获得优异的图像分辨率（~250微米）、无需扫描的高速成像以及~10- 13 T/VHz的灵敏度。传感器还将大大降低MCG仪器的复杂性和成本。第一阶段计划的目标是表明所提出的技术可以用于执行MCG，并且可以映射数据以生成心脏图像。RMD组建了一支强大的研究团队，由心脏病专家，生物制药师，科学家和工程师组成，以进行I期计划。该团队在测量微小磁场和分析动物和人类受试者的ECG方面拥有丰富的经验。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Magnetocardiography (MCG) has been shown to offer powerful disease detection and diagnostic capabilities in both humans and animals not readily achieved with standard ECG and echocardiography, including the ability to map ischemic regions in the heart, and monitor arrhythmia. Fetal magnetocardiography (fMCG) has been successfully employed for the non-invasive study of arrhythmia and other conditions of the fetus in utero. However, due to the exceedingly small magnetic fields associated with the heart, current MCG systems use super conducting quantum interference devices (SQUID) as sensors. Complexities in fabricating and using SQUIDs, including coils, shielding, cooling and electronics, make them exceedingly expensive. These limitations have prevented MCG from achieving widespread clinical use. RMD proposes a new, solid-state, high density, 2-D sensor array that will revolutionize MCG technology so that it can be used in both the clinical setting with human subjects, and for research with animals to develop new treatments and pharmaceuticals. The proposed technology will make possible large area, high density, 2-D sensor arrays for excellent image resolution (~250 microns), high speed imaging without scanning, and sensitivity of ~10-13T/VHz. The sensors will also result in substantial reductions in both the complexity and cost of MCG instrumentation. The goal of the Phase I program is to show that the proposed technology can be used to perform MCG, and that the data can be mapped to produce images of the heart. RMD has assembled a strong research team consisting of a cardiologist, biophysicist, scientists and engineers to conduct the Phase I program. The team has substantial experience in measuring minute magnetic fields, and analyzing ECG in both animals and human subjects.