The Lundquist Institute Receives $2.6 Million Grant from U.S. Army Medical Research Acquisition Activity to Develop Wearable Biosensors
24 Abril 2024 - 7:32PM
The U.S. Army Medical Research Acquisition Activity (USAMRAA) has
awarded The Lundquist Institute (TLI) a four-year grant totaling
$2,623,234. The research project is led by Dr. Harry Rossiter, an
investigator at TLI and Professor at the David Geffen School of
Medicine at UCLA. The project aims to develop wearable multiplex
biosensors to monitor exacerbation risk in chronic obstructive
pulmonary disease (COPD).
COPD affects approximately 16 million Americans and is the third
leading cause of death globally. Acute exacerbations of COPD
(AECOPD), typically caused by a lung infection, are associated with
accelerated progression of COPD and represent the greatest burden
of COPD to patients and healthcare. Patients with AECOPD have
increased breathlessness, typically reported several days after the
initial infection, and may require treatment with antibiotics
and/or hospitalization.
The prediction of AECOPD is complex. Evidence of the early
response to infection, before the onset of symptoms, is present in
blood in the form of inflammatory signaling molecules. The
collaborative team from the Lundquist Institute (led by
Harry Rossiter, PhD) and Caltech (led by Wei Gao, PhD) have
already developed a wearable nanoengineered biosensor that allows
real-time, non-invasive analysis of the inflammatory signaling
molecule C-reactive protein (CRP) in sweat, that is associated with
the blood-borne response. Building on this development, their new
research will identify molecules in sweat that predict future
AECOPD, paving the way for real-time, on body, monitoring without
the need for repeated blood samples.
“Our ultimate goal is to develop a wearable system to preempt
AECOPD, providing an early warning system to move treatment earlier
in the exacerbation process and thereby reduce patient morbidity,
mortality, hospitalization, and healthcare utilization,” said Dr.
Rossiter. “The proposed sensor has the potential to not only
revolutionize COPD management but also to impact healthcare by
incorporating wearable electronics into chronic disease
management.”
"In partnership with Dr. Harry Rossiter and The Lundquist
Institute, our team at Caltech is advancing medical technology with
wearable biosensors. Our aim with this project is to transform
chronic disease management and push healthcare towards continuous,
non-invasive monitoring for better health," said Dr. Wei Gao.
- Dr. Harry Rossiter, Lundquist Institute Investigator
Max Benavidez
The Lundquist Institute for Biomedical Innovation
310-200-2682
max.benavidez@lundquist.org