Real-time in situ measurement of electrical impedance of lung tissue

This technology is a device that measures electrical impedance of pulmonary liquid at local sites lining the airway lumen, epithelium, and extracellular matrix to assess tissue health in real-time.

Unmet Need: Rapid, real-time electrical property assessments of lung tissue

The airway epithelium serves as a protective barrier within the lungs and enables clearance of inhaled substances through mucociliary clearance. Due to its delicate structure and constant exposure to the external environment, the airway epithelium is highly susceptible to damage. Airway electrical properties, including bioimpedance, can serve as markers of airway tissue health at both the cellular and mucosal levels. However, existing electrical measurement systems cannot be applied within the airway and therefore do not provide real-time assessment of airway health. Therefore, there is an unmet need for real-time in situ quantification of airway tissue electrical properties.

The Technology: Rapid monitoring of airway epithelium condition through electrical property measurements

This technology measures in situ electrical impedance of the airway mucus barrier and the underlying airway epithelium. Direct contact with the airway surface enables rapid, real-time assessment of airway tissue health which can improve diagnostic accuracy and inform treatment strategies. Therefore, this technology could advance both diagnosis and treatment of a range of pulmonary diseases that impact the airways, including cystic fibrosis and asthma. This technology could be further extended to use in other tissues where electrical properties and barrier function are essential to tissue health, including heart, brain, and skin.

This technology has been validated in in situ airway tissue and ex vivo rat liver.

Applications:

• Measurement of electrical impedance in the lung and other similar tissues
• Pulmonary disease monitoring
• Quantification of the airway mucus properties
• Assessment of the intracellular location of genes in airway tissue
• Assessment of gene therapy in epithelial cells
• Biomarker detection for disease and injury in the respiratory tract
• Method to design and apply biosensors for disease monitoring
• Tool to evaluate quality of donor organs for transplants

Advantages:

• Provides real-time, in situ assessment of local pulmonary microenvironment
• Quantifies airway health to diagnose injury or disease states of the tissue
• Accurately and rapidly measures electrical properties

Lead Inventor:

Gordana Vunjak-Novakovic, Ph.D.

Patent Information:

Patent Pending (US/2023/077227)

Related Publications:

• Chen J, Mir SM, Hudock MR, Pinezich MR, Chen P, Bacchetta M, Vunjak-Novakovic G, Kim J. Opto-electromechanical quantification of epithelial barrier function in injured and healthy airway tissues. APL Bioeng. 2023 Jan 11; 7(1): 016104.

Tech Ventures Reference:

• IR CU22293

• Licensing Contact: Beth Kauderer