Project description
A low-cost hand-held photonics device could enhance early diagnosis of cardiovascular disease
According to the World Health Organisation, cardiovascular diseases are the number one cause of death globally, associated with almost 18 million deaths annually. As with many conditions, early diagnosis and intervention can save lives. Changes in blood flow can be indicative of abnormalities in the way the heart contracts to pump blood as well as of changes in arterial diameter or elasticity, all harbingers of cardiovascular disease. The EU-funded InSiDe project is developing a hand-held laser Doppler interferometer exploiting silicon photonics and efficient algorithms to deliver real-time signal analysis of selected cardiovascular parameters. This high-tech, low-cost monitoring device will fill an unmet need with important implications for patients and healthcare systems.
Objective
The rationale for Medtronic and partners to propose the InSiDe project is the unmet need of the medical community for reliable, non-invasive, cheap and easy-to-use tools able to identify and characterize different stages of cardiovascular diseases. Solving this need ensures the early adoption of the appropriate therapies, dramatically reduces healthcare costs and importantly, improves patient outcome.
In fact, monitoring arterial stiffness by measurement of the aortic pulse wave velocity has been demonstrated to be a crucial need for the management of hypertensive patients and it is recommended in the European Society of Cardiology Guidelines. In addition, the early identification of arterial stenosis and cardiac contraction abnormalities can be used to drive earlier therapy adoption and to improve patient’s response in cardiac (valvular) disease.
Building on the realizations of the successful CARDIS (H2020-ICT-644798) project, the objective of InSiDe is to accelerate access to a new diagnostic device, based on silicon photonics technology, able to monitor cardiovascular diseases and to prove its efficacy in driving a timely therapy institution and its related follow-up.
We will:
-Develop an efficient miniaturized laser Doppler interferometer supported by a manufacturable package with integrated imaging optics and by electronics for control of the laser interferometer with onboard near-real time signal processing capability.
-Develop algorithms for translation of the interferometer signals to beat-to-beat measurement results relevant for monitoring and diagnosis of selected cardiovascular parameters.
-Prove the device efficacy in multiple clinical feasibility studies inside and outside the consortium.
-Outline a path to industrialization and manufacturability.
In this way InSiDe will realize a low-cost handheld, robust diagnostic tool, manufacturable in high-volumes. The diagnostic tool gives immediate results for physician’s interpretation.
Fields of science
- engineering and technologyelectrical engineering, electronic engineering, information engineeringelectronic engineeringsignal processing
- medical and health sciencesclinical medicinecardiologycardiovascular diseases
- natural scienceschemical sciencesinorganic chemistrymetalloids
- natural sciencesphysical sciencesopticslaser physics
Keywords
Programme(s)
Funding Scheme
IA - Innovation actionCoordinator
3001 Leuven
Belgium