In this section
We use light to develop advanced diagnostic tools, wearable sensors, and microscale robots for studying diseases and enabling minimally invasive treatments.
We use photonics to develop new technologies for medicine and to study the pathophysiology of disease. This includes new and improved diagnostic tools as well as microscale robotic devices for therapeutic applications. We use a variety of optical techniques for this purpose such as fluorescence, Raman and diffuse reflectance spectroscopy, as well as microscopy and interferometry. We develop devices ranging from wearable sensors and fibre-optic probes for minimally invasive diagnostics through to microscale robots for cellular-scale manipulation and therapy.
Our research has a number of potential clinical applications including improved monitoring of clinical therapies and interventions (e.g. in inflammatory bowel disease and malnutrition), early diagnosis of infection, and even margin mapping in tumour resection surgery.
The devices we are developing can potentially provide less invasive and lower cost diagnostics. In turn, this may facilitate patient benefits including earlier diagnosis, earlier identification of relapse (e.g. in therapy response monitoring applications), more widespread deployment and more comfortable patient experiences (e.g. through use of less invasive probes and sensors).
Dr Belal Ahmad
Imperial College Research Fellow
Dr Qian Chen
Clinical Research Fellow
Dr Ahmed Ezzat
Research Postgraduate
Dr Nilanjan Mandal
Research Associate in Optical Sensing for LMICs
Dr Alexander J Thompson
Senior Lecturer in Biomedical Sensing
Mr Zeyu Wang
Research Postgraduate
@inproceedings{Mandal:2024:10.1117/12.3002394,
author = {Mandal, N and Sanchez, EM and Avery, J and Gan, J and Chen, Q and Mwiinga, M and Banda, R and Kelly, P and Thompson, AJ},
doi = {10.1117/12.3002394},
publisher = {SPIE},
title = {A wireless semi-wearable sensor for assessment of gut function in low-resource settings},
url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1117/12.3002394},
year = {2024}
}
TY - CPAPER
AB - Environmental enteric dysfunction (EED) is a subclinical disorder of intestinal function common in tropical countries and settings of poverty and economic disadvantage. EED manifests during infancy and is associated with undernutrition, poor sanitation, and gut infections. EED is characterised by inflammation, reduced absorptive capacity, and reduced barrier function (i.e., increased permeability) in the small intestine. The precise mechanisms underlying changes in gut barrier function (and other aspects of intestinal function) in EED remain elusive. Furthermore, current diagnostic methods to assess gut permeability (e.g., endoscopic biopsies or permeability assays such as the Lactulose:Mannitol test) are invasive, unreliable and/or challenging to perform in infants and patients with other coexisting urological conditions. Consequently, there is an urgent need to develop diagnostic technologies that can non-invasively and affordably monitor intestinal permeability in low-resource settings where EED is prevalent.To address this need, we present a prototype semi-wearable, wireless sensor for non-invasive assessment of intestinal permeability via transcutaneous fluorescence spectroscopy. The approach relies on the ingestion of a fluorescent contrast agent (fluorescein) and the subsequent detection of its permeation from the gut into the bloodstream using a wearable probe. We outline the development of the semi-wearable sensor and report preliminary in vivo deployment. This showcases the potential of transcutaneous fluorescence spectroscopy as a wearable and non-invasive diagnostic tool for assessing gut function in low-resource settings.
AU - Mandal,N
AU - Sanchez,EM
AU - Avery,J
AU - Gan,J
AU - Chen,Q
AU - Mwiinga,M
AU - Banda,R
AU - Kelly,P
AU - Thompson,AJ
DO - 10.1117/12.3002394
PB - SPIE
PY - 2024///
TI - A wireless semi-wearable sensor for assessment of gut function in low-resource settings
UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.1117/12.3002394
UR - http://hdl.handle.net/10044/1/113072
ER -
The Hamlyn Centre
Bessemer Building
South Kensington Campus
Imperial College
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