Northwestern is recognized worldwide for its innovative research, boasting 35 University institutes and centers and sponsoring more than $1 billion per year in research. The Daily put together a summary of NU’s latest research findings.
Implantable sensor to detect Crohn’s disease
A group of NU researchers recently developed the first implantable sensor to identify flare-ups in Crohn’s disease patients. The sensor could help doctors treat inflammatory issues earlier.
Today, more than one million Americans face Crohn’s disease, according to a March 19 University press release, which causes intestine and digestive issues, weight loss and malnutrition. While some patients with mild cases receive oral medications for treatment, the most affected will receive at least one surgery to remove damaged sections of intestines.
Knowing that heat is a sign of an inflammatory episode, researchers attached a temperature sensor to the intestines of mice with Crohn’s disease to monitor the real-time progression of the disease and track temperature fluctuations for about four months.
Feinberg Prof. Arun Sharma, one of the study’s researchers, said the study aimed to address the lack of methods to quickly detect inflammatory events in Crohn’s disease patients.
“This could be potentially prevented if a clinician has this information readily at hand and can determine what type of therapy can be given to that person at that moment in time, rather than waiting weeks to get a blood analysis, tissue biopsy, or fecal analysis,” Sharma said in the news release. “In the meantime, you’re losing valuable minutes regarding tissue damage with this inflammatory event.”
The new finding, he added, potentially offers a long-term approach to prevent or limit damage in those with Crohn’s disease.
Implant and app monitors bladder function
Millions of Americans suffer from impaired bladders because of nerves, brain or spinal cord damage.
NU researchers have created a flexible and battery-free implant that attaches to the wall of the bladder to measure its urine level. As the bladder stretches, it pulls on the device to signal bladder strain. Then, the device’s sensors transmit the data to a smartphone app through Bluetooth technology.
The bioelectrical sensor can prove advantageous to people with paralysis, bladder cancer or end-stage bladder disease, who may experience complications in bladder function.
“If bladder nerves are damaged from surgery or from a disease such as spina bifida, then a patient often loses sensation and is unaware that their bladder is full,” said one study leader, McCormick Prof. Guillermo A. Ameer, in a March 25 release.
This enables clinicians to monitor patients remotely and consistently to make more informed decisions on diagnosis and treatment options.
The findings, set to be published this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, mark a breakthrough in bladder function technology.
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