The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has issued a patent on an innovation to measure or control nerve activity that could be used in the diagnosis and treatment of various cardiac and other medical conditions. The innovation was created by Dr. Peng-Sheng Chen of the Indiana University School of Medicine.
Many diagnostic and treatment methods in the fields of medicine and biology rely on measurements of nerve activity, but the magnitude of electrical signals in sympathetic nerves is relatively low compared to signals from other sources. Another level of difficulty is that to access certain nerves responsible for a variety of biological functions requires an expert neurosurgeon, and the procedure involves high risk.
The IU noninvasive/minimally invasive approach overcomes these drawbacks, significantly reducing potential risk and other complications associated with previous invasive procedures.
The innovation was disclosed to the IU Innovation and Commercialization Office. The mission of the office is to drive innovation to the market for the benefit of the public, the university and innovators for state, national and global commerce. IU personnel can disclose an invention online.
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