This Small Business Innovation Research Phase I project focuses on the development of a low cost, versatile diagnostic system capable of simultaneously performing a thromboelastograph (TEG) analysis and measuring the erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) for the detection of hemophilia, von Willebrand disease, polymyalgia rheumatica, temporal arteritis, various types of cancer, and anemia. The proposed diagnostic system is based on a low-cost, disposable magnetoelastic sensor that, when excited by a magnetic field, resonates and generates a secondary magnetic flux detectable by a remotely located magnetic coil. The sensor can quantify changes in physical properties (viscosity, particle settling) of blood by measuring the changes in resonance frequency and amplitude. This allows the determination of TEG and ESR by indirectly measuring the real-time variations in blood viscosity and particle settling.
The primary commercial application of the proposed sensor technology is for medical diagnosis. The low-cost nature and its simple operating procedure allow the system to be used in almost any type of medical facilities from large hospitals to small clinics. The use of such a versatile diagnostic system is crucial to detect many diseases without forcing the patients to go through different tests and the consequent medical bills. While medical diagnostic systems have greatly improved in the last few decades with better prognostic values and accuracy, the cost and complexity of the systems have not changed, hence preventing many at-risk patients from receiving adequate medical evaluation.
