Wireless High-Bandwidth Trans-cutaneous Signal Transmission

许多动物实验记录来自体内的信号：例如血压和心率，或者肌肉或大脑的电活动。为了分析这些信号，必须将它们传输到体外系统。这通常是使用手术植入皮肤上的连接器来完成的。实验者将一个记录设备插入这个连接器进行测量。不幸的是，这种方法可能存在问题。皮肤是防止感染的天然屏障。一般来说，如果我们受了轻伤，伤口很快就会愈合。身体会立即产生免疫反应，并在伤口开放的短时间内抵消任何可能进入的感染。但是，如果导线和连接器永久植入动物体内？的皮肤，它创造了一个突破这一自然屏障。在这种情况下很难预防感染。这些感染会给动物带来严重的福利问题。受感染的动物可能会给出减少的数据，甚至在极端情况下无效的数据，因此感染也会损害实验的进行。最后，有时候非常严重的感染可能需要人道地杀死动物，终止原本富有成效的实验，并需要使用另一只动物来获得结果。在NC 3Rs资助的先前项目中，我们设计了一种新颖的无线电系统，通过皮肤无线传输信号;它也是无线供电的。虽然遥测系统以前已经开发过，但我们的系统将这种技术带到了新的极限。它有16个频道;目前的系统只有2-3个。它忠实地传输快速变化的信号：现有的遥测仪只能用缓慢变化的波形工作。最后，无线供电避免了频繁更换电池的需要，使植入物寿命长，无需进一步手术。该系统已成功植入猴子体内，并保持无感染。它按需启动并传输数据。然而，初始信号放大器级的问题使其无法实际使用。在本提案中，我们将进一步开发系统以解决放大器的问题。然后，我们将在猴子身上进行测试，作为在主申请人身上进行的实验的一部分。的实验室。这将是对主申请人技术的直接改进。然后，我们将使该系统商业化，以便它可以被其他实验室用于广泛的应用和物种。

Many experiments on animals record a signal from inside the body: examples might be blood pressure and heart rate, or the electrical activity of muscles or the brain. In order to analyse these signals, they must be transferred to a system outside the body. This is often done using a connector implanted surgically on the skin. The experimenter plugs a recording device in to this connector to make measurements. Unfortunately, this approach can be problematic. The skin is a natural barrier to infection. Normally, if we sustain a minor injury, the wound heals rapidly. The body mounts an immediate immune response, and counteracts any infection which might have entered during the short time that the wound remained open. However, if a wire and connector is permanently implanted onto an animal?s skin, it creates a breach of this natural barrier. It is very difficult to prevent infections in such a case. These infections can pose a significant welfare problem to the animal. An infected animal may give reduced data, or even in extreme cases invalid data, so infections also impair the conduct of the experiment. Finally, sometimes very severe infections may require the animal to be humanely killed, terminating an otherwise productive experiment, and requiring another animal to be used to obtain the results.In a previous project funded by NC3Rs, we designed a novel radio-based system to transmit signals wirelessly through the skin; it was also wirelessly powered. Although telemetry systems have been developed previously, our system took such technology to new limits. It has 16 channels; current systems have only 2-3. It faithfully transmits rapidly changing signals: existing telemeters work only with slowly varying waveforms. Finally, wireless powering avoids the need for frequent battery changes, allowing a long implant life without further surgery. The system was successfully implanted in a monkey, and remained infection free. It powered up on demand, and transmitted data. However, a problem with the initial signal amplifier stage prevented it from being practically useful.In this proposal, we will develop the system further to solve the problem with the amplifier. We will then test it in a monkey, as part of experiments carried out in the principal applicant?s laboratory. This will be an immediate refinement of technique for the principal applicant. We will then commercialise the system so that it can be used by other laboratories, in a wide range of applications and species.