Implantable Tissue Sensor With Adaptive Power for Real-Time Monitoring
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current cancer therapies, such as radiation and chemotherapy, often have unpredictable efficacy and side effects, making it difficult to monitor treatment effectiveness, especially in malign tissue, where imaging technologies may not provide reliable results in a timely manner, leading to potential relapse and the need for costly and time-consuming surveillance.
Innovation Solution
An in-situ sensor is implanted within tissue, equipped with an energy harvesting portion, communication module, pressure sensor, and additional sensors (pH, lactate, impedance, etc.) that measure tissue conditions and transmit data to an extracorporeal device, adapting energy consumption to extend operation and providing real-time monitoring of treatment efficacy.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If imaging technologies are used to monitor tissue changes, then diagnosis can be obtained, but it takes valuable time before reliable diagnosis is possible and some tissue growth may not be visualized
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces traditional imaging technologies with an in-situ sensor system that directly measures tissue parameters (pressure, pH, lactate, impedance) at the molecular and cellular level. This substitution of measurement methodology enables immediate detection of tissue changes without the time delays and visualization limitations of imaging techniques.
Solution Approach 2:
The in-situ sensor acts as an intermediary device implanted within the tissue to directly measure physiological parameters. This intermediary approach provides real-time data from the tissue environment itself, eliminating the need for external imaging and enabling continuous monitoring without time loss.
2Reliability
If surveillance is performed to detect relapse, then relapse risk is minimized, but it is expensive and time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The in-situ sensor performs preliminary monitoring of tissue parameters continuously during and after therapy, detecting early signs of relapse before they become clinically apparent. This preliminary detection capability eliminates the need for expensive and time-consuming periodic surveillance while maintaining high reliability in relapse detection.
Solution Approach 2:
The sensor provides continuous feedback on tissue physiological parameters, enabling real-time monitoring of treatment efficacy and early detection of relapse. This feedback mechanism replaces intermittent expensive surveillance with continuous low-cost monitoring, maintaining high reliability while reducing time and resource consumption.
3Duration of action of moving object
If energy consumption is reduced to extend sensor operation, then battery life is extended, but measurement and communication frequency must be reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The sensor system dynamically adjusts its operation mode based on available energy levels. When energy is abundant, the sensor performs frequent measurements and communications. When energy becomes limited, the system automatically reduces measurement and communication frequency to extend operation duration. This dynamic adaptation resolves the contradiction between measurement frequency and battery life.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes operational parameters (measurement frequency, communication rate, sampling intervals) based on energy availability. By dynamically modifying these parameters, the sensor extends its operational duration while maintaining adequate monitoring capability, resolving the trade-off between measurement frequency and battery life.
Data Source
AI summary
The invention proposes an In-situ Sensor (1) for being implanted within tissue of a mammal (P) comprising •an energy harvesting portion (RX), •a communication portion (TX), •a pressure sensor (SP) for measuring interstitial pressure of surrounding tissue when located within tissue, •a further sensor (SF), whereby the further sensor is selected from a group comprising pH sensor, lactate sensor, impedance sensor, radiation sensor, temperature sensor, sensor for bioelectrical potentials, •whereby said further sensor (SF), said pressure sensor (SP) as well as the communication portion (TX) are powered by the energy harvesting portion (RX), •whereby information indicative of the measurement provided by the pressure sensor (SP) and data indicative of the measurement provided by said further sensor (SF) is communicated via said communication portion (TX) towards an extracorporeal receiving entity (ECE), •whereby said communication portion (TX) and/or said pressure sensor (SP) and/or said further sensor (SF) are adaptable such that they consume less energy in case storage of energy by the energy harvesting portion (RX) drops below a certain threshold.