Princeton
University Invention # 09-2525
Researchers
in the Department of Electrical Engineering and the MIRTHE Research Center,
Princeton University have developed an eye-safe device that allows
for non-invasive measurements of dissolved gasses and compounds in a patient¿s
blood and tissue. Operating similar to a pulse-oximeter, health care
practitioners (and patients in-home) can monitor biological compounds and gasses
such as carbon dioxide, acetone, and potentially glucose. Current methods of
monitoring such compounds rely on the drawing and analysis of blood samples.
This device uses eye-safe lasers and a portable package to monitor
concentrations of these important compounds quickly and
inexpensively.
Similar
to a pulse oximeter, the device can
be made hand-held for home, outpatient, or hospital use. This technology is
robust, and can be used to measure multiple other compounds and gasses including
dissolved sugars and ammonia. Present technologies do not allow for the
measurement of the concentration of dissolved gasses in the blood.
Pulse-oximeters only measure the ratio of oxygenated to deoxygenated hemoglobin
in the blood. The ability to measure exact concentrations of dissolved gasses
will provide physicians with additional information when analyzing patients'
health. This inexpensive and fast method of monitoring could decrease the cost
and increase the effectiveness of home glucose monitoring.
Currently
no existing commercial technologies can provide non-invasive sensitive and
selective measurements of dissolved blood gasses. A prototype device using
quantum cascade laser light sources tuned on and off the CO2 resonance has been
built and is being characterized and tested.
MIRTHE
is a National Science Foundation Engineering Research Center headquartered at
Princeton University, with partners City College New York, Johns Hopkins
University, Rice, Texas A&M, and the University of Maryland Baltimore
County. The center encompasses a world-class team of engineers, chemists,
physicists, environmental and bio-engineers, and clinicians. MIRTHE's goal is to
develop Mid-Infrared (~ 3 - 30 µm)
optical trace gas sensing systems based on new technologies such as quantum
cascade lasers or quartz enhanced photo-acoustic spectroscopy, with the ability
to detect minute amounts of chemicals found in the environment or atmosphere,
emitted from spills, combustion, or natural sources, or
exhaled.
Princeton
is currently seeking commercial partners for the further development and
commercialization of this opportunity. Patent protection is pending.
For more information on Princeton
University invention # 09-2525 please contact:
Laurie Tzodikov
Office of Technology Licensing and Intellectual
Property
Princeton University
4 New South Building
Princeton, NJ 08544-0036
(609) 258-7256
(609) 258-1159 fax
tzodikov@princeton.edu