Project

Early stage CARdio Vascular Disease Detection with Integrated Silicon Photonics

Acronym
CARDIS
Code
41G00115
Duration
01 February 2015 → 31 January 2019
Funding
European funding: framework programme, Regional and community funding: Special Research Fund
Research disciplines
  • Engineering and technology
    • Other engineering and technology
Keywords
cardiovascular disease
 
Project description

Early identification of individuals at risk for CVD allows early intervention to halt or reverse the pathological process.

This is the driver of Medtronic and partners to develop a mobile, low-cost, non-invasive, point-of-care screening

device for CVD.Assessment of arterial stiffness by measurement of the aortic pulse wave velocity (aPWV) is included

in the latest ESC/ESH guidelines for CVD risk prediction. Besides aPWV, early identification of arterial stenosis and

cardiac contraction abnormalities can be used to improve CVD risk classification. However, no tools are available

today to screen a large population at primary care on these parameters, and individuals that are considered to be

at low or moderate risk are too often undiagnosed.The objective of CARDIS is to investigate and demonstrate the

concept of a mobile, low-cost device based on a silicon photonics integrated laser Doppler vibrometer and validate

the concept for the screening of arterial stiffness, detection of stenosis and heart failure. We will:•nvestigate, design

and fabricate the optical subsystems and components: silicon photonics chip with integrated Ge-detectors, microoptics,

micro-optical laser bench, optical package•ntegrate the subsystems and build a multi-array laser interferometer

system•evelop a process flow scalable to high volumes for all sub-systems and their integration steps•nvestigate

and develop the biomechanical model to translate optical signals related to skin-level vibrations into underlying CVD

physiological events•alidate the system in a clinical settingPhotonics integration is needed to enable a device that is

mobile (small size, small weight, robust (no moving parts), low cost (high volume scalable process flow) and allows

fast screening (laser array).The partners commit to protect IP whenever possible, disseminate results via open access

and, if target specs are met, commercially exploit and transfer the technology to create social and economic impact.