Real-Time Melatonin Monitor to Diagnose Sleep Disorder

描述（由申请人提供）：随着老年人口的不断增长，监测与年龄相关的生理相关性变得越来越重要。与年龄相关的一个主要问题是睡眠的数量和质量。许多商业设备监测生理夜间活动（即，活动记录仪、EEG、EMG、EOG、呼吸等），然而，没有可用于连续、非侵入性、近实时监测血液中化学物质的商业装置。松果体激素，褪黑激素，遵循一个特征性的昼夜节律的时间模式。血浆褪黑激素浓度被用作指示睡眠的相关性，并且外源性应用已被用于尝试改善睡眠的质量和数量。现代研究褪黑激素对睡眠的因果影响需要抽取血液，唾液或尿液，然而，这些技术中的每一种都需要受试者的努力，导致偏离正常的睡眠模式。 在这个第二阶段的项目中，AST建议制造一个连续的，近实时的，非侵入性的监测器 血液中的化学物质，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。该设备将适合对老年人（和儿童）群体进行大规模筛查，并有可能通过致动器调节外源性褪黑激素给药。 该装置还适用于通过闭环控制胰岛素注射来监测葡萄糖，以试图始终实现血糖正常。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): 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. In this Phase II project, AST proposes to fabricate 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. The device is also applicable to the monitoring of glucose with closed-loop controlled injection of insulin in the attempt to achieve euglycemia at all times.