BME

Every 15 seconds, someone in the US suffers from a brain injury; as a result, every 15 seconds, someone in the US is failed by the lack of any substantive advancement in the treatment of traumatic brain injuries in the past several decades. Our objective is to design and build a prototype of the BrainDOMETM, which is a neurosurgical device that is in very early development at NTX (Neurotheraputics, pre-Series A startup, see http://www.ntx.ai/ the device is intended to allow for early large decompressive craniectomy and fundamentally change the standard of care.

In the video here: https://www.dropbox.com/s/ie4e0b66qy8k47v/Craniotomy%20decompressive.mov... you can see a craniectomy being performed. The brain swells outside the margins and the success of the surgery is variable. The device replaces current surgical techniques and the MVP will require biocompatible antimicrobial penetration resistant materials and design that allows for tight seal ideally for at least 7-10 days...

During surgery for animals, unlike in the human market, there is no trained anesthesiologist. In fact, many assistants in the AH market are not clinically trained. For example, one of the most common questions we receive about our AH vitals monitor is that it is beeping and how to shut off the alarms. However, the reason it is alarming is that the animal is in distress and she needed to address the situation, not simply shut off the alarm.

The objective of this project is to research the complications that occur and link the vitals sign monitor to the anesthesia machine in order to have more automated controls and make the process of anesthesia administering and monitoring of the animal more fool proof. However, this will require a lot more research before this is ready for execution.

Project Mentor:

Engineering Mentor: Asad Abu-Tarif, PhD MBA, VP Research...

There are more than one million hospitalizations each year for ACHF. With more than 15 million patients with heart failure around the world, it is a remarkable that there is only one pharmacotherapy therapy for ACHF, injectable diuretics (most patients are already taking oral diuretics). This therapy works well on about half of patients, but is complicated by the presence of renal dysfunction, diuretic resistance, or liver dysfunction in almost 50% of patients. Rehospitalization, long hospital stays, and major adverse events are common in this latter group of patients, who deserve an alternative.

ACHF hospitalizations are the most costly single diagnosis for Medicare! It is the second most common reason for hospitalization, second only to giving birth to babies! Let’s help these patients!

The purpose of this project is to evaluate, prototype, test two options for the treatment of diuretic resistant patients in ACHF. Students will quantify, investigate,...

Labor is a dangerous time for the fetus. Currently technology to monitor fetal condition is

inadequate. Fetal heart rate tracing (FHR) is imprecise with poor positive predictive value, leading to frequent misdiagnosis of fetal distress. As a result, unnecessary interventions such as Cesarean Section (CS) are common. Reliance on FHR can also lead to delayed diagnosis of fetal distress. Fetal pH serves as the gold standard for diagnosis of fetal distress.

The aim of this project is to develop a hand-held instrument that can give an immediate

bedside reading of the fetal blood pH, pCO2, and/or lactate. The device should provide a rapid and accurate bedside diagnosis of fetal distress during labor, be nurse operable (physician not needed), be quick and painless to the mother, accurate results in less than 5 minutes, safe and low cost. The project goal will focus on developing a method to collect...

Project Description:
With 12.7 million people affected worldwide, corneal blindness ranks third in the causes of blindness. Although surgical treatment such as corneal transplantation exists, the lack of matching quality donor tissue for replacement limits its impact on public health worldwide.

A synthetic artificial cornea has been proposed to fulfill the unmet need at lower cost and wider availability. With the addition of a nanopatterned surface, the synthetic device will be antibacterial and promote post-op tissue healing, further advancing its therapeutic benefit.

We intend to investigate new materials with higher flexibility and biocompatibility and its related larger scale production method, to improve the 1st generation implantable device for optimal clinical practice and further lower its fabrication cost. 2nd generation cornea device will be characterized according to FDA guidelines, and the team will aim for a pilot animal trial.

Project Mentor:
Engineering Mentor: Albert Yee, PhD, Department of Chemical...

Project Description:
Bacterial infections and contamination is a serious problem worldwide. Methods to detect bacteria are currently expensive time exhaustive due to the fact that the current methods require culturing samples for 24 hours and costly PCR approaches needed to detect bacterial populations.

The goal of this project is to design a small portable and cost effective particle counting device that can measure ultra-low concentration bacteria (~atto molar) within minutes. Fluorescent Hit Counter will feature a faster process (~1 min/run/mL sample). The detectors are based on photon counts which will increase sensitivity. each sample will be safely sealed in each cuvette The current method is to grow bacterial cultures which required long-time incubation (~24 hours or more) and bacterial culture are counted by eyes which can lead to possible human errors. Another pitfall is that contamination may happen between the plates. Students will also think about how this design...

Project Description:
Neurological rehabilitation aims to restore brain functionality in subject’s with impaired brain networks. The heterogeneity present in post-stroke subject’s plays a significant role in a myriad of repetitive movements used in conventional training. Robot completed movement and ongoing modifications in rate, timing, effort combined with virtual reality games have led to significant behavioral gains in robotics therapy (Takahashi, 2007). Robots can calculate optimal training period and can assist in sensorimotor performance which could optimize the current rehabilitation therapy decisions (Reinkensmeyer 2004). Integrating the somatosensory system in post stroke patients leads not only to predicable hand functional gains, but neural correlations of proprioceptive weaknesses found after stroke. The measurement of distal extremities such as the finger could generate predictive models in the motor gains found from robotic assistance.

The goal of this project is to design a robotic instrument that assists post-stroke subjects with finger motions requiring precise...

Project Description:
Humans have for thousands of years struggled with STDs; Detection, diagnosis, treatment and possible annihilation of the viruses that cause them. In the late 1970’s a new virus was introduced into the family of STDs, its name: Human Immunodeficiency Virus. This silent killer has been plaguing us since its discovery, even though the scientists have now gathered enough information about the virus to produce an effective method for controlling the disease, they have not been able to completely eradicate it.

One of the most important steps in curing a disease is detection and diagnosis. In the United States of America there exist a system of education and testing which provides free and anonymous testing for this deadly disease; however that is not the case for the most third world countries. Detection and early diagnosis of all STD’s has been an important step in treating these diseases. Most...

Project Description:
There has been several recent advancements in the global aesthetics market, including innovations in treatment serums, masks, numbing cream, recovery agents, and body contouring. Methods for body contouring in aesthetic medical practices now include thermal treatments that heat a patient’s adipose fat tissue via radio frequencies. It is still unknown, however, how to optimize this novel method to provide personalized treatments.

The aim of this project is to develop a thermal treatment device for body contouring that provides automated treatment feedback from various sensors and thermal imaging that is then used to optimize a radio frequency to heat the patient’s adipose tissue to therapeutic temperature. The frequency output would be emitted by a thermal transmitter that would receive data from the sensors and thermal imaging device to control the time duration, directionality, and frequency level. By automating these features of the treatment, an individualized thermal treatment protocol...

Project Description:
Evaluation the structure of eye is most frequently performed using optical methods to visualize the anatomy inside the eye. When light cannot enter the eye, clinicians and surgeons depend upon ultrasound to “see” inside the eye. Ultrasound of the eye uses high resolution transducers to evaluate the structures internal to the eye and detect diseases like intraocular hemorrhage, retinal detachment, intraocular tumors, and rupture of the eye. While ultrasonic probes have benefited from increased imaging resolution, innovation in data acquisition and image review has stagnated. To this day, dimensional imaging remains the standard.

This project proposes to develop the technology and methods necessary to capture ultrasound images, and reconstruct them into 3-Dimensional models. This may be accomplished by integrating 6-axis accelerometer sensors, stepper motor rotational actuation, and serial image annotation combined with a machine learning structure identification techniques. The final module will be used as an accessory...

Project Description:
Otoscopes, despite being a relatively simple technology, face many challenges in low-resource settings. The initial purchase cost of otoscope is a barrier, but more often reliability and accessibility of the battery causes the most problems. Otoscope batteries are often specific, and only the most expensive models offer high durability, battery life and optical quality. LED technology, along with more innovative power methods, could solve these issues. Additionally, allowing for adaptation to a smartphone camera or other imaging method could allow for remote diagnosis and integration into electronic medical records. For example, mass produced batteries for other applications could reduce battery costs and improve accessibility. Allowing for power directly from a wall plug would enable the device to be used while a replacement battery is sourced.

The aim of this project is to develop a low-cost otoscope for use in low-resource hospital and clinic environments. The device should...

Project Description:
In low resource environments, access to needed medical equipment such as wheelchairs is limited. With the motto “no one should have to crawl”, the Free Wheelchair Mission (https://www.freewheelchairmission.org/) provides free wheelchairs to those in need. They have identified that many of their end users have upper extremity weakness, or need to travel long distances from their home. As a result, they are interested in providing lever arm drivers on their wheelchairs for those who need them.

The aim of this project is to develop a lever driver for the wheelchairs that the Free Wheelchair Mission provides to those in need for free. The device should be easy to mount, resistant to weather and extensive use, fit through a standard doorway, enable easy maneuverability, and low cost (< $71 to manufacture).

Project Mentor:
Engineering Mentor: Christine E. King PhD, Department of Biomedical Engineering, UCI, kingce@uci.edu
...

Project Description:
Ataxic cerebral palsy is the least common form of cerebral palsy. Ataxia means ‘without order’ or ‘incoordination’. Ataxic movements are characterised by clumsiness, imprecision, or instability. Movements are not smooth and may appear disorganised or jerky. The incoordination seen with ataxia occurs when a person attempts to perform voluntary movements such as walking or picking up objects. Ataxia causes an interruption of muscle control in the arms and legs, resulting in a lack of balance and coordination. People with ataxia may have unsteady, shaky movements or tremor, difficulties maintaining balance, and appear very unsteady and shaky because their sense of balance and depth perception is affected.

The objective of this project is to improve Dylan’s quality of life by giving him greater control of his movements and thereby increased independence. Specifically, the aim of this project is to develop a device that can assist with the most...

Project Description:
Rehabilitation after neurological injury often requires significant physical therapy to improve the patient’s quality of life and activities of daily living. Typically, physical therapists begin with the most basic tasks and movements, such as safely moving from a bed to a chair while protecting your impaired arms from injury. Then, they gradually progress to exercises and tasks that improve balance, help patients relearn basic coordination skills, and retrain your brain to perform functional tasks such as grasping objects and walking.

One issue that commonly arises in rehabilitation settings is the inability to quantify physical therapy exercises so that physicians can assess a patient’s recovery over time. The aim of this project is to apply sensing based technologies to common physical therapy devices, such as a stretch bands, balance boards, and stacking cones to quantify their use during physical therapy in a sub-acute rehabilitation setting.

Project Mentor:
...

Project Description:
After neurological injury such as stroke or traumatic brain injury (TBI), it is important to monitor a patient’s blood pressure as a common secondary complication is hypotension, a blood pressure that is below normal for the individual. When the blood pressure drops below a certain level, oxygen and other nutrients are not efficiently delivered to the brain. This can lead to dizziness and fainting, or can be an indication of other serious medical conditions.

In order to prevent fainting due to hypotension after a TBI or stroke, and potentially another TBI, physicians are interested in being able to monitor a patient’s blood pressure while in the community, and be able to alert the patient when their blood pressure falls below a certain level, and thus are at an increased risk of fainting, or even shock. The aim of this project is to develop a wearable sensor system...

Project Description:
While many philanthropic studies focus on “high-profile” killers such as HIV and malaria, the primary cause of death throughout the developing world still stems from issues related to the heart. The World Health Organization (WHO) has begun to seriously consider the growing number of hypertensive patients throughout the world. A major barrier to tackling this health care challenge is recording consistently accurate blood pressure measurements.

The aim of this project is to develop a low cost, easy-to-use device to assist a minimally-trained person in taking the blood pressure using a sphygmomanometer. The device should easily mechanical connect to the existing sphygmomanometer (clamp around the tubing, for example) that amplifies the pressure signal. With the signal now visible, the oscillatory BP method is possible with a standard sphygmomanometer. This eliminates the need to be trained to identify Korotkoff sounds (the oscillatory use of a sphygmomanometer does not require...

Project Description:
Advancing age is cited as the primary reason for atrial fibrillation (A-Fib), as life expectancy continues to gain, atrial fibrillation is on the rise. The lifetime risk of developing A-Fib beyond the age of 55 is 25%. Atrial fibrillation can remain asymptomatic putting patients at health risk for not knowing they have the disease. Stroke is the first manifestation of the arrhythmia and is considered the main debilitating health risk associated with A-Fib. Early detection of the arrhythmic disease is essential to reducing risk to patients.

The goal of the project will be to research new innovative technologies such as gyrocardiogram or mobile EKG to take real time data of the heart’s QRS complex to detect atrial fibrillation.
An ideal screening test should be inexpensive, noninvasive, mobile, and self-administered. Research on A-Fib detection methods have gone beyond the traditional large and clunky EKG strategy to detect....

Project Description:
Pulmonary valve stenosis (PS) generally refers to the stenosis of a pulmonary valve or the combination of a pulmonary valve and the right ventricular outflow tract, and it may exist and isolated or may also be one of the lesions of other complex congenital heart diseases (such as Tetralogy of Fallot). The current surgical correction for young patients with PS either leave a significant pulmonary regurgitation, or not accommodating patient growth.

Medical Implant Testing Lab (MITL) has developed an expandable pulmonary valve mainly for surgical implant during repair of PS. The expandability allows balloon expansion after initial surgery so no further open heart, cardio-pulmonary bypass procedure may be needed as the patient grows. The design would reduce the high risk and high invasiveness of redo surgery. The valve design has been verified with successful animal study, the expandable stent/valve design is to be developed and verified.

The...

Project Description:
As technology and clinical experience advance, the medical devices to treat structural heart disease are becoming more complex and less invasive. There is a huge need for a more physiological in vitro cardiovascular test model to be able to effectively test and refine these devices.

The aim of this project is to develop a pulsatile cardiovascular system that mimics many of the major physiological properties (systolic and diastolic cardiac function, vessel/chamber compliance and resistance).

The project has three phases:
Phase 1: Cardiovascular system circuit with the following design constraints: Easy to set up (Plug and Play), Portable, Pulsatile and steady state, Echo and Flouro compatible
Phase 2: Measurement system that is able to measure: Cardiac Output, Mitral and tricuspid regurgitation, Pressures (LA. LV, RA, RV)
Phase 3: Synthetic Heart with different disease models (optional goal)

Project Mentor:
Engineering Mentor: Nima Nia, PhD, Principal...

Project Description:
Cardiovascular disease is the leading global and national cause of death. Until recently, heart transplant has been the only effective option, but donor heart availability limits this to less than ten percent of the those on the transplant waiting list. Left ventricular assist device (LVAD) became a viable option when the FDA approved the technology for destination therapy, but technical challenges remain for this new technology. Among the top complications with the device is infection at the driveline exit site. While clinical trials have shown positive results for survival advantage and the improvement in the overall quality of life for LVAD recipients, the frequency and severity of the device related complications prevents further expansions to a less ill patient population.

The aim of this project is to design an efficient biocompatible wireless power transfer system (transcutaneous energy transfer system) that can power a totally implantable artificial heart...

Project Description:
Labor is a dangerous time for the fetus. Currently technology to monitor fetal condition is inadequate. Fetal heart rate tracing (FHR) is imprecise with poor positive predictive value, leading to frequent misdiagnosis of fetal distress. As a result, unnecessary interventions such as Cesarean Section (CS) are common. Reliance on FHR can also lead to delayed diagnosis of fetal distress. Fetal pH serves as the gold standard for diagnosis of fetal distress.

The aim of this project is to develop a hand-held instrument that can give an immediate bedside reading of the fetal blood pH, pCO2, and/or lactate. The device should provide a rapid and accurate bedside diagnosis of fetal distress during labor, be nurse operable (physician not needed), be quick and painless to the mother, accurate results in less than 5 minutes, safe and low cost.

Project Mentor:
Engineering Mentor: Christine E. King, PhD, Department of...

Project Description:
DNA methylation is an epigenetic modification that is involved with the regulation of gene expression within human cells and is known to be a major drive of cell differentiation during human development. Recent studies have revealed that DNA methylation is regulated during disease progression and ageing. Interestingly, DNA methylation measurements from blood and urine can be used a quantitative measure of biological age which is associated with overall healthiness. Assessment of DNA methylation levels in human samples typically requires special laboratory equipment that is expensive, limited in availability and requires molecular biology training to operate. And while there is evidence that DNA methylation trajectories (epigenetic drift) in blood can be altered through dieting, there are no technology that allow personalized measurements of DNA methylation levels at home in real-time.

The objective of this project is to develop a low-cost handheld device that is capable of robust molecular...

Project Description:
The use of in-vivo blood flow monitoring systems is essential for the clinical diagnosis of an assortment of cardiovascular related diseases1. The ever increasing population of elderly patients plays a major role towards the growth of the global blood flow measurement devices market with a CAGR of 9.10%2. Currently, laser speckle imaging (LSI) is a widely used noninvasive wide-field optical modality that enables superficial blood flow quantification3. However, many LSI devices require the use of various large components potentially limiting the widespread clinical utility. The need for a LSI system that does not compromise data quality while providing portability is crucial for use in clinical diagnosis.

The aim of this project is to develop a motion-stabilized flow imaging device developed under the guidance of Dr. Choi that can account for critical sources of motion-related errors that currently render robust handheld use of an imaging device an impossibility....

Project Description:
There are over 8 million people in the US alone living with chronic stroke. There are approximately 800,000 new cases of stroke in the US every year. These patients are often left with paralysis which leads to significant disability. Currently, no satisfactory biomedical solutions exist to reverse the resulting loss of motor function. Alternative biomechanical approaches have been pursued with limited success. Brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) may provide one method by which to help restore movement after stroke. BCIs are systems which record brain-signals and translate them into control signals – essentially enabling “brain-control” of external devices. Current BCI systems are typically large and expensive and involve a significant number of components. For such systems to become practical, the systems must be made to be low cost, portable, and user-friendly.

The aim of this project is to design, implement, and test a low-cost, portable brain-computer interface with user...

Project Description:
A large number of seizures are non-convulsive with almost no clinical indication of an ongoing seizure. In critically ill patients in the emergency room and an intensive care setting, up to 25% of all patients are having seizures that are not diagnosed. Such non-convulsive seizures can be continuous, called “non-convulsive status epilepticus” (NCSE), a process that can harm the brain from an excessive and abnormal “thunderstorm-like” electrical in the brain. The only way to diagnosis NCSE is by electroencephalogram (EEG). An EEG is typically ordered by a physician and consists of multiple electrodes being placed on the scalp by a technician, taking approximately 30 minutes to initiate and then additional time for a neurologist to interpret. There is no handheld device that offers physicians a quick way to diagnosis NCSE.

This project consists of the development of a wireless, portable EEG pen that can allow physicians to...

Project Description:
All hearing aids on the market work by producing an amplified sound from their small speaker in the ear canal. This method of sound amplification leads to several drawbacks: 1. Feedback of sound into the microphone which causes whistling, 2. Occlusion effect, where the ear plugging required by traditional hearing aids causes a sensation of blockage of ears, and 3. Distortion, where the sound in the small space of the canal gets distorted. We have developed a direct-drive hearing aid that allows for direct actuation of the tympanic membrane. The device is positioned deep in the ear canal and can directly vibrate the middle ear ossicles via the tympanic membrane. This leads to a more natural sound, akin to an implantable middle ear device, without the need for surgery. In addition, since the device does not produce sound, it does not cause the feedback, occlusion effect, or...

Project Description:
In 2009. There were about 1 million implantable cardioverter-defibrillators or pacemakers deployed worldwide. Now, 9 years later, more than 26% of these implants are due for replacement. They are reaching the end of their usable life due almost entirely to battery exhaustion. Further, the technical trend of the pacemaker market is shifting to a leadless, ultra-miniaturized form factor that is implanted into the ventricular cavities of the heart, severely restricting the available space for battery. Commercially available examples include the leadless pacemakers by Medtronic and St. Jude Medical with device volumes between 0.8 to 1 cm3.

The aim of this project is to develop an energy-harvesting device that can be integrated with a typical leadless pacemaker without increasing the volume to extend the device’s lifespan by at least twofold to 15 years or longer. MEMS technology would be a prime candidate to implement the miniature energy harvester....