A research team from Vanderbilt University’s School of Engineering has developed a system of artificial cilia to monitor mucus conditions in human airways. The innovation will help better detect pulmonary infection or airway obstruction as well as be able to identify the severity of COPD, cystic fibrosis and lung cancer.
The paper, “Sensory Artificial Cilia for In Situ Monitoring of Airway Physiological Properties,” was published in PNAS. According to lead researcher Xiaoguang Dong, PhD, assistant professor of mechanical engineering, continuous monitoring of human airway conditions is critical for timely interventions. This is especially true for patients with lung cancer or other diseases who have airway stent implants to alleviate central airway obstruction.
Xiaoguang Dong, PhDVanderbilt University
“The sensing mechanism for mucus viscosity leverages external magnetic fields to actuate a magnetic artificial cilium and sense its shape using a flexible strain gauge,” the researchers wrote. “Additionally, we report an artificial cilium with capacitance sensing for mucus layer thickness, offering unique self-calibration, adjustable sensitivity and range, all enabled by external magnetic fields generated by a wearable magnetic actuation system.”
Dr. Dong and his team tested the system in artificial trachea and sheep trachea, deploying the sensors either independently or in conjunction with an airway stent. The sensing signals transmitted wirelessly to a smart phone or the cloud, allowing for further data analysis and disease diagnosis.
According to the study, “the proposed sensing mechanisms and devices pave the way for real-time monitoring of mucus conditions, facilitating early disease detection and providing stent patency alerts, thereby allowing timely interventions and personalized care.”
