Silicon Vulnerable Plaque Sensor

本研究的目的是开发一种基于固态硅传感器的血管内成像探测器，用于识别冠状动脉易损斑块。目前，冠状动脉造影术不能定义动脉粥样化的状态，并且仅测量血管的管腔尺寸，而不提供关于斑块含量的信息。拟议中的新硅探测器将通过检测来自斑块结合放射性示踪剂的β粒子来工作。因此，将获得70%的心脏病发作的签名，这些心脏病发作是由太小而不能通过血管造影术检测到的最小阻塞性易损斑块引起的。这种特征将使有针对性和成本效益的治疗，以防止急性冠状动脉疾病，如：不稳定型心绞痛，急性心肌梗死，心脏性猝死。在第一阶段，我们将开发一个原型硅传感器用于检测放射性示踪剂发射来自易损斑块，优化原型传感器，准备检测器组件和表征其性能使用斑块标记放射性示踪剂，以评估血管内斑块检测方法的可行性。初步研究表明，对于硅，β/γ比其他技术大大提高。此外，硅还具有其他优点，例如减小探测器尺寸，以增强临床效果。在第II阶段，将使用动物模型制造和评价原型导管系统。拟议的商业应用：能够对冠状动脉疾病进行抢先治疗的设备的商业和医疗价值是不言而喻的。全世界每年进行超过200万次导管插入术诊断程序，这些程序将立即提高质量：通过基于导管的易损斑块诊断。

The objective of this proposal is to develop an intravascular imaging detector based on solid-state silicon sensor, to identify vulnerable coronary artery plaques. Currently, coronary angiography is unable to define the status of the atheroma and only measures the luminal dimensions of the blood vessel, without providing information about plaque content. The proposed new silicon detector will work by sensing beta particles from plaque-binding radiotracers. Thereby, a signature will be obtained for the 70% of heart attacks that are caused by minimally obstructive vulnerable plaques which are too small to be detected by angiography. This signature will enable targeted and cost effective therapies to prevent acute coronary artery diseases such as: unstable angina, acute myocardial infarction, and sudden cardiac death. In Phase I we will develop a prototype silicon sensor for detecting radiotracer emissions originating from vulnerable plaque, optimize the prototype sensor, prepare detector assemblies and characterize their performance using plaque labeling radiotracers in order to assess the feasibility of the approach for intravascular plaque detection. Preliminary studies show that for silicon the beta/gamma ratio is greatly improved over other technologies. In addition, the silicon offers other advantages such as reduced detector size for enhance clinical. In Phase II, a prototype catheter system will be fabricated and evaluated using animal models. PROPOSED COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS: The commercial and medical value of a device that can enable preemptive treatment of coronary artery disease is self evident. Over 2 million catheterization diagnostic procedures are performed annually worldwide that would immediately quality for augmentation: with catheter based diagnosis of vulnerable plaque.