Engineers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have created an ultrasound sticker to monitor the stiffness of internal organs, which could help detect diseases early.
The small sticker, similar in size to a postage stamp, can be placed on the skin to detect signs of diseases like liver and kidney failure, as well as the growth of solid tumors.
In a study published in Science Advances, the team explains how the sensor sends sound waves into the body through the skin, which bounce off internal organs and return to the sticker.
The sticker can measure and track organ stiffness by analyzing the pattern of reflected waves, which serves as a signature.
MIT mechanical engineering professor Xuanhe Zhao stated, “When some organs undergo disease, they can stiffen over time.
The team showed that the ultrasound sticker can monitor organ stiffness non-stop for 48 hours and detect small changes that might indicate disease development.
In initial tests, they found the sensor could pick up early signs of acute liver failure in rats.
The engineers are modifying the design to make it suitable for human use. They expect the sticker to be utilized in intensive care units (ICUs), where the small sensors could constantly monitor patients recovering from organ transplants.
Just like muscles, our body’s tissues and organs tend to stiffen as we age. In some diseases, this stiffening can become more severe, indicating a possible decline in health.
The researchers created 128 tiny transducers and placed them on a small 25-millimeter-square chip. They covered the chip’s underside with a sticky hydrogel adhesive, which is a mix of water and polymer. This adhesive allows sound waves to travel in and out of the device with minimal loss.
In initial tests on rats, the team used the stiffness-sensing sticker to continuously measure liver stiffness for 48 hours.
They observed clear and early signs of acute liver failure from the data collected by the sticker. These findings were later confirmed with tissue samples.
The sticker’s sensitivity is comparable to that of commercial handheld probes, which are important for identifying organ stiffness in patients after transplants.
The researchers aim to develop a portable version of the ultrasound sticker for patients to use at home, allowing for longer-term monitoring of conditions such as the progression of solid tumors.