Implantable Bioimpedance Spectrometer
- Reference number
- ITM17-0079
- Start and end dates
- 190101-221231
- Amount granted
- 7 717 518 SEK
- Administrative organization
- KTH - Royal Institute of Technology
- Research area
- Information, Communication and Systems Technology
Summary
This proposal aims to make scientific and technological breakthroughs within the area of implantable bioimpedance spectroscopy, by developing a novel instrument/device, which can measure complex impedance of internal organ tissues over a wide spectrum of frequencies. The main activities behind this goal involve proposing, designing, implementing and testing an implantable bioimpedance spectrometer (a miniature embedded system) as well as the corresponding measurement method for bio-impedance spectroscopy. The outcome is a button-like bioimpedance spectrometer, which will be evaluated by performing electrical, electro-chemical tests and preliminary in-vivo tests. We believe that a successful outcome of this project would be a solid basis for other challenging and exciting endeavors. The project will enable future research and development of revolutionary implantable medical instruments/tools for diagnosis and monitoring of a wide variety of medical conditions (cancer, cardiac, pulmonary, renal, infection, organ rejection, metabolic syndrome, fracture recovery) and will keep Sweden in the forefront of this field for many years to come.
Popular science description
Electrical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS) is a technology that allows the analysis of biological tissues and fluids by extracting their opposition to electrical currents (bioimpedance) at different frequencies. Currently, bioimpedance measurements are successfully used in various medical applications such as skin cancer diagnosis, measurement of body composition, impedimetric biosensors, electrical impedance tomography (EIT) and artifact reduction in ECG. Other potential medical applications currently under intensive research are pulse wave velocity and respiration sensing, and electrical impedance myography (EIM) to monitor a variety of neuromuscular conditions. Nevertheless, many potential clinical applications (such as cervical, lung, prostate cancer detection/diagnosis) have not benefited yet from this technology due to the fact that commercially available bioimpedance measurement equipment is designed for use outside the body. Extracting the bioimpedance of internal organs with commercial equipment is extremely difficult since the AC currents must penetrate through the skin/mucosa and possibly many layers of underlying tissue. Accurate bioimpedance monitoring of internal organs requires direct contact with the organ under test, and therefore an implantable instrument is necessary to perform the measurement. The required implantable embedded system is very challenging since it places stringent requirements in terms of accurate sensing, miniature size, bio-compatible packaging, ultra-low power consumption, and also reliable wireless communications and powering. Such system has not been developed until now. This project aims to fill this gap by developing a button-like instrument for implantable bioimpedance spectroscopy. The envisioned miniature instrument will make possible, for the first time, to continuously monitor and study the bioimpedance spectra of living tissues. This instrument has the potential to make solid scientific and technological breakthroughs, which will allow further development of implantable bioimpedance instruments/devices as well as other types of medical instruments, which can be later commercialized and be used by the healthcare providers.