AutoSense: Quantifying Exposures to Addictive Substances and Psychosocial Stress

描述(申请人提供)：反复接触成瘾物质和心理社会压力与无数人类疾病(如癌症、药物成瘾、心脏病和抑郁症)有关，造成巨大的公共卫生负担。然而，由于缺乏技术来收集准确、准确和客观的数据，以实时和在个人的自然环境中衡量个人对成瘾物质和心理社会压力的暴露，我们在了解成瘾物质和心理社会应激如何与人类流行疾病病因学中的遗传因素相互作用方面取得的进展受到阻碍。在这个跨学科的研究项目中，我们建议开发和验证一种名为AutoSense的新的现场可部署工具，通过利用无线传感器网络技术的最新发展，以及使用可穿戴传感器对人体间质液体进行非侵入性、实时和持续的生化评估的创新方法，测量个人对酒精的暴露和心理社会压力。AutoSense将基于一个高度通用、便携、经济实惠的无线传感器网络平台，带有一个微处理器和名为Mote的无线收发器，它已经被用于几个嵌入式传感应用，包括动态患者监测。这个项目有三个具体目标。首先，我们建议将现有的ISF酒精传感器集成到AutoSense中。这种由spectRx Inc.开发的传感器非侵入性地收集ISF样本，以检测受试者体内存在的酒精水平，并自动校准以辨别血液酒精水平的变化。我们还将在Mote上集成其他几个现有的生理传感器，以评估与压力相关的生理反应，包括皮肤温度、皮肤电导、呼吸频率和心率。其次，我们将开发新的软件来收集和处理有关酒精和压力暴露的生理数据，通过无线通道实时安全地传输收集的数据，并远程指挥、控制和更新现场部署的AutoSense设备。第三，我们将进行严格的实验室和实地研究，以验证AutoSense设备。这项实验室研究的目标将是确定使用基于ISF的酒精传感器和其他生理传感器作为酒精暴露和压力下的生化反应测量的有效性。实地研究的目标将是证明实地部署的可行性和可靠性。相关性：AutoSense设备将使研究人员能够量化个人在现实生活中经历的成瘾物质和心理社会压力。这种能力将增进我们对成瘾物质和心理社会压力的暴露如何与人类流行疾病的遗传因素相互作用的理解，这些疾病给公共卫生造成了巨大的负担。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Repeated exposures to addictive substances and psychosocial stress are associated with myriad human diseases (e.g., cancer, drug addiction, heart disease, and depression) of tremendous public health burden. However, our progress in the understanding of how exposures to addictive substances and psychosocial stress interact with genetic factors in the etiology of prevalent human diseases is hindered by the lack of technology to collect precise, accurate and objective data to measure personal exposure to both addictive substances and to psychosocial stress, in real time and in an individual's natural environment. In this trans-disciplinary research project, we propose to develop and validate a new field-deployable tool called AutoSense, to measure personal exposure to alcohol and psychosocial stress by leveraging recent developments in wireless sensor network technology, and innovative approaches in the use of wearable sensors for the non-invasive, real-time, and continuous biochemical assessment of human interstitial fluid. AutoSense will be based on a highly versatile, portable, affordable, and de-facto wireless sensor network platform with a microprocessor and wireless transceiver, called Mote, which is already being used in several embedded sensing applications, including ambulatory patient monitoring. There are three specific aims of this project. First, we propose to integrate an existing ISF alcohol sensor in AutoSense. This sensor developed by SpectRx Inc. non-invasively collects ISF samples to detect levels of alcohol present in a subject's body and automatically calibrates to discern changes in blood alcohol levels. We will also integrate several other existing physiological sensors on the Mote to assess physiological responses related to stress, including skin temperature, skin conductance, respiration rate, and heart rate. Second, we will develop new software to collect and process physiological data on alcohol and stress exposure, to securely transmit the collected data via wireless channel on a real-time basis, and to command, control, and update field deployed AutoSense devices remotely. Third, we will conduct rigorous lab and field studies to validate the AutoSense device. The goals of the lab study will be to establish the validity of using the ISF-based alcohol sensor and other physiological sensors as measures of biochemical responses to alcohol exposure and stress. The goals of the field study will be to demonstrate the feasibility and reliability of field deployment. Relevance: The AutoSense device will enable researchers to quantify personal exposure to addictive substances and psychosocial stress, as experienced by individuals in real-life situations. Such a capability will advance our understanding of how exposures to addictive substances and psychosocial stress interact with genetic factors in the etiology of prevalent human diseases of tremendous public health burden.