Portable Medical Diagnosis Instrument

Many diseases are accompanied by characteristic odors. Their recognition can provide diagnostic clues, guide the laboratory evaluation, and affect the choice of immediate therapy. The study of the chemical composition of human breath using gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC/MS) has shown a correlation between the volatile compounds and the occurrence of certain illnesses. The presence of those specific compounds can provide an indication of physiological malfunction and support the diagnosis of diseases. This condition requires an analytical tool with very high sensitivity for its measurement. A number of volatile compounds, so called biomarkers, are found in breath samples, normally at low parts per billion (ppb) levels. For example, the acetone in the exhaled breath from human with other biomarkers can indicate Type I diabetes. Usually, the concentration of the volatile compounds in human breath is very low and the background relative humidity is high, almost 100%. NASAs invention utilizes an array of chemical sensors combined with humidity, temperature, and pressure for real-time breath measurement to correlate the chemical information in the breath with the state and functioning of different human organs. This tool provides a non-invasive method for fast and accurate diagnosis at the medical point of care or at home. The sensor chip includes multisensors for a comprehensive measurement of chemical composition, temperature, humidity, and pressure/flow rate. The sensor data collected from this chip can be wired or wirelessly transmitted to a computer terminal at the doctors desk or hospital monitoring center. The sensor chip can be connected directly or via Universal serial bus (USB) to a cell phone for data transmission over a long distance and receive an instruction from a doctors office for an immediate therapy.

The NASA developed Micro-Organ Device (MOD) platform technology is a small, lightweight, and reproducible in vitro drug screening model that can inexpensively biomimic different mammalian tissues for a multitude of applications. The technology is automated and imposes minimal demands for resources (power, analytes, and fluids). The MOD technology uses titanium tetra(isopropoxide) to bond a microscale support to a substrate and uses biopattering and 3D tissue bioprinting on a microfluidic microchip to eliminate variations in local seeding density while minimizing selection pressure. With the MOD, pharmaceutical companies can test more candidates and concentrate on those with more promise therefore, reducing R&D overall cost. This innovation overcomes major disadvantages of conventional in vitro and in vivo experimentation for purposes of investigating effects of medicines, toxins, and possibly other foreign substances. For example, the MOD platform technology could host life-like miniature assemblies of human cells and the effects observed in tests performed could potentially be extrapolated more readily to humans than could effects observed in conventional in vitro cell cultures, making it possible to reduce or eliminate experimentation on animals. The automated NASA developed technology with minimal footprint and power requirements, micro-volumes of fluids and waste, high throughput and parallel analyses on the same chip, will advance the research and development for new drugs and materials.

PUMA represents a major breakthrough in portable metabolic analysis. It is a rugged, compact device that measures human metabolic function at rest, during exercise, in clinical settings, and in extreme environments. Metabolic measurements are a clinically proven method of monitoring cardiovascular health and fitness levels. The PUMA headgear features NASA-developed sensors that evaluate six key metabolic functions. Specifically, PUMA measures oxygen and carbon dioxide partial pressure in addition to temperature, pressure, airflow, and heart rate. By placing sensors close to the mouth, PUMA can record up to 30 (or more) detailed measurements for each breath. From these measurements, PUMA computes metabolically relevant quantities of oxygen uptake, carbon dioxide output, minute ventilation, respiration rate, and heart rate. With additional software, the device computes heart rhythm, tidal volume, and alveolar and dead-space volumes. A small embedded computer controls and acquires data from all sensors at 10 hertz (Hz), performs calculations, and transmits data wirelessly to a remote computer. The PUMA sensors are low power, stable, and capable of operating in a range of environments, including very high and low pressures as well as high- and low-oxygen environments. This portable device provides real-time measurements that are just as accurate as the large stationary metabolic carts used in hospitals. PUMA can be used not only in clinical settings but also in the extreme/remote environments of space, aviation, underwater, and deep underground. Because it detects real-time dangerous drops in oxygen, it can ensure astronaut cardiovascular health; predict the onset of hypoxia in pilots, divers, and first responders; and advance chronic pulmonary disease monitoring and athletic training.

Microphones and stethoscopes are regularly used by physicians to detect sounds when monitoring physiological conditions. These monitors are coupled directly to a person's body and measure in certain bandwidths either by listening or by recording the signals. The physiological processes such as respiration and cardiac activity are reflected in a different frequency bandwidth from 0.01 Hz to 500 Hz. This technology can monitor physiological conditions in the entire bandwidth range. Signals can also be wirelessly transmitted, using Bluetooth, to other recording devices at any other location.

In space there are a limited number of care providers, and those providers are not always clinicians with extensive medical training. Space travel also has limited room to provide care and limited consumables. The Human-Powered Ventilator is compact, portable, and easy to assemble. It is designed so that users can implement hand and arm movements to pump the bellows between two hinged, clamshell-like panels back and forth to provide positive pressure ventilation to the patient. A light spring is incorporated into the design to assist in expanding the bellows, drawing air out of the patients lungs, and reducing the physical load on the operator without compromising the tactile feel necessary for proper usage. The airflow can be supplemented with prescribed medical vapors, oxygen, etc. via standard industry fittings. The Human-Powered Ventilator is TRL 6 (system/subsystem prototype has been demonstrated in a relevant environment) and it is now available for your company to license. Please note that NASA does not manufacture products itself for commercial sale.