PFI-TT: A Noninvasive Biological Research Tool for Measurement of Tissue and Cerebral Oxygenation

Award ID: 1919038

The broader impact/commercial potential of this Partnerships for Innovation-Technology Translation (PFI-TT) project addresses the lack of cost-effective tools for to measure oxygen in biological tissues, currently a major bottleneck for important studies. Over the past decade, a biological research community has emerged utilizing specific noninvasive techniques for in vivo studies of biological tissue. A measurement technique known as near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) will have an impact on many fields, including functional brain imaging, stroke assessment, breast cancer screening, and premature infant brain monitoring. Applying silicon manufacturing techniques to making these near-infrared (NIR) instruments presents a significant milestone toward wearable diagnostic tools providing precise data on tissue oxygenation, in a compact form similar to a typical pulse oximeter. The proposed project presents a significant milestone in the development of point-of-care diagnostic tools. The team was the first to demonstrate the promise of implementation of frequency domain tissue spectroscopy techniques in an unmodified commercial silicon fabrication process. They propose a wearable device that implements advanced NIRS methods in a compact form factor by employing low-cost, solid-state optical devices and a system-on-chip (SoC) platform integrating complex signal processing circuitry, laser drivers, digitization, and wireless communication capability. Frequency domain SoC microsystems will play a significant role in development of scalable, wearable and bedside monitoring systems capable of operation over multiple wavelengths to measure absolute concentrations of several biological chromophores and, as proposed here, achieve selective depth sensitivity, which is currently not possible with continuous-wave NIRS systems that only measure intensity. In addition, miniaturization enables the realization of systems for concurrent measurement of multiple diagnostic modalities. The integration of on-chip wireless data transmission will enable the flexibility to observe tissue oxygenation while subjects are in motion without the limiting constraints of a bulky fiber optic cable harness. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

NSF Program Director: Mara E. Schindelholz