Wearable Biosensors for Real-Time Physiological Monitoring
Abstract
The proposed research addresses the FY19 AIMM Focus Area "tools for decision support in a deployed or operational environment to: diagnose military-relevant disease, illness, or injury." The data streams generated by wearable devices also address the Focus Area "Artificial Intelligence (AI)/deep learning for integrating heterogeneous data streams and analyzing data from wearables to support making informed healthcare decisions." Wearable biosensors such as simple heart rate and movement monitors have been hugely successful in civilian markets across the world. This proposal aims to create a technology base for a new generation of more capable devices that can monitor biomarkers related to all aspects of human performance. Such new wearable biosensors would have clear benefits not only in civilian markets, but in military applications for monitoring Warfighter performance. The keystone technology for these new sensors is not currently wearable devices like heart rate monitors, but another widely developed and heavily commercialised technology, i.e., the diabetes glucometer. This device uses the enzyme glucose dehydrogenase to generate small electric currents in proportion to the glucose level in a droplet of blood, which is monitored externally by a dedicated meter and reported back to the patient. In previous work, the Principal Investigator s laboratory has used cutting-edge synthetic biology technology to develop a customizable family of modified glucose dehydrogenase enzymes that require not only glucose, but a second biomarker to turn "ON" and generate the measured electrical current. These have been developed into devices similar to the glucometer, and they function as biosensors for whatever marker the system has been programmed to recognize. In this project Queensland University of Technology (PI, Kirill Alexandrov) is partnering with Clarkson University world experts in miniaturised electrical biological devices (co-PIs, Artem Melman and Evgeny Katz). The purpose of this collaboration is to integrate the new sensing glucose dehydrogenase modules into a micro-biofuel cell. Essentially, this is a device that cannot only measure the biomarkers it has been programmed to recognise, but power itself from naturally occurring glucose and oxygen in bodily fluids. This technology is generally applicable to many parameters of physiological and performance interest. It is proposed to start with the biomarker Cystatin C, which is one of the two most commonly used biomarkers of kidney performance, and its continuous assessment would be invaluable in the situation of high physical performance or injury. We consider the benefits of a new generation of wearable biosensors with continuous monitoring targeted to human performance to be widespread in maximisation of human performance potential, while decreasing the risk of overexertion and injury. Risks involved pertain to control of information created and the balance of personal/institutional control of this data. This risk is mitigated by the fact that balancing the risks and benefits of personal data creation is now widely considered in new technologies.
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- Mar 10, 2021
- Source ID
- W81XWH2010708
Entities
People
- Kirill Alexandrov
Organizations
- Queensland University of Technology
- United States Army