Newswise — New York Institute of Technology (NYIT) Assistant Professor Aydin Farajidavar has won a $457,000 National Institutes of Health grant to develop an implantable wireless system to study the body’s digestive systems.
Farajidavar’s research aims to create a safe method to monitor the electrical impulses producing rhythmic movements and contractions in the stomach that are central to gastric health and good digestion. Problems with gastric movements, called dysrhythmias, lead to disorders that prevent the stomach from digesting food normally, leading to other problems with blood sugar levels, nutrition absorption, and painful cramps.
“Right now, we have no adequate way to record the gastric signals that allow us to understand what may be happening in a patient’s stomach,” says Farajidavar. “External devices placed on the surface of the belly don’t always pick up the stomach’s signals or the signal recording is disrupted if a patient moves a certain way.”
Farajidavar’s tiny device will first be tested in animals. It is designed to be implanted during an endoscopy, a procedure in which doctors use a flexible tube to examine the digestive tract. In humans, surgeons would insert the device by opening a small flap inside the stomach. Once implanted, the chip would transmit data on the stomach’s so-called “slow waves” to a small patch worn on the skin. The patch, in turn, would transfer the data to a unit allowing doctors to map and monitor the stomach’s electrical activity. The system is known as WINGS (Wireless Implantable NeuroGastroenterology System). The implant will be wirelessly recharged through the patch, potentially allowing it to stay in the body for a month or more.
“Once we know more about these gastric waves and signals, scientists can develop special therapies, similar to heart pacemakers, for patients suffering from gastric disorders,” says Farajidavar. “In the field of cardiology, these technologies have helped revolutionize diagnosis and treatment of heart issues. The same thing is possible for the stomach conditions but only if we have ways to monitor gastric signals in long-term studies.”
Farajidavar is developing the device within the Entrepreneurship and Technology Innovation Center (ETIC) at NYIT School of Engineering and Computing Sciences.
“Federal research funding helps our doctors, scientists and engineers by giving them the critical resources they need to improve the quality of life for patients around the world,” said Rep. Steve Israel. “I am thrilled that Assistant Professor Farajidavar and NYIT are continuing the vital work that has positioned Long Island as a national hub for medical research.”
Farajidavar’s research team includes scientists from Auckland Bioengineering Institute (New Zealand), Pennsylvania State University, and North-Shore-Long Island Jewish Health System.
Farajidavar’s grant is part of an NIH initiative dedicated to investigating the workings of peripheral nerves, which are those nerves outside of the brain and spinal cord. The SPARC (Stimulating Peripheral Activity to Relieve Conditions) program seeks to fund projects that reveal information about how peripheral nerves control the body’s organs.
“SPARC hopes we share the technology and we can get in into clinical trials in a few years,” says Farajidavar. “We’re honored to be among the first responders to this initiative.”
About NYITNew York Institute of Technology (NYIT) offers 90 degree programs, including undergraduate, graduate, and professional degrees, in more than 50 fields of study, including architecture and design; arts and sciences; education; engineering and computing sciences; health professions; management; and osteopathic medicine. A non-profit independent, private institution of higher education, NYIT has 12,000 students attending campuses on Long Island and Manhattan, online, and at its global campuses. Led by President Edward Guiliano, NYIT is guided by its mission to provide career-oriented professional education, offer access to opportunity to all qualified students, and support applications-oriented research that benefits the larger world. To date, nearly 100,000 graduates have received degrees from NYIT. For more information, visit nyit.edu.
RSS