CAREER: Implantable Wireless Microsystems for Diagnosis and Management of Glaucoma

University Of Minnesota-Twin Cities, Minneapolis MN

Investigators

Abstract

Recent advances in low-power integrated circuits, wireless technology, and silicon micromachining have provided strong tools for fabricating miniature wireless microsystems for biomedical applications. These microsystems are particularly useful in ophthalmology where limited anatomical space requires miniature surgical instruments and implants. The main research objective of this career award is to develop a group of implantable wireless microsystems for diagnosis and management of glaucoma using silicon micromachining and state-of-the-art wireless powering and readout techniques. The two specifically targeted microsystems are: I) a wireless microsystem for long-term (up to one year) monitoring of intraocular pressure, and 2) a non-invasively adjustable microvalve for the drainage of aqueous humor (aqueous shunt). Although this proposal targets a specific disease, the science to be investigated and the technologies to be developed will be beneficial in many other applications involving implantable wireless microsystems. The educational component of the project responds to the current crisis faced by many electrical engineering departments in attracting undergraduates towards hardware oriented and cross-disciplinary fields. Due to its multidisciplinary nature, the research is intimately tied to the educational component in order to address this problem. The educational plan includes active outreach and mentoring of undergraduate electrical engineering students in order to enhance and stimulate their interest in multidisciplinary technical careers with particular emphasis on microsystem technology and its applications in biomedical engineering. The plan includes incorporating research activities into undergraduate courses, involving undergraduates in the research, and developing inter-session short courses and seminars for sophomores and juniors. These short courses target the widest possible undergraduate audience by requiring the minimum prerequisites (physics, chemistry, biology, and math) and are intended to emphasize the current multidisciplinary research in biomedical microsystems and other related areas.