There is a need for a convenient, safe way for mothers and doctors to continuously monitor pregnancy. Observing the placenta during pregnancy offers a look into the utero fetal environment. Monitoring placental oxygenation levels and maternal physiological signals can be useful to assess both mother and fetus’ well-being during pregnancy. Additionally, fetal movement has long served as a measure to gauge fetal well-being and nervous system development helping to identify adverse pregnancy outcomes. Identification of complications during pregnancy can allow for earlier interventions, including providing medications to reduce risk of perinatal mortality and maternal gene therapy.
Currently available, non-invasive techniques are expensive and bulky; they also do not offer continuous monitoring of either fetal physiological signals or placental oxygenation. This novel, wearable, wireless device and protocol addresses this unmet need. It provides a way to remotely monitor placental oxygenation levels, multiple physiological signals and movement activities of a fetus and mother, and thus presents a convenient, safe and less expensive alternative to currently available techniques..
Potential Commercial Applications
- A low-cost device and method for mothers and doctors to continuously monitor pregnancy health.
- Potential for device to be applied in general health monitoring or sleep monitoring.
Features and Competitive Advantages:
- Wearable and non-invasive placenta and fetal monitoring device.
- Low-cost, streamlined solution versus bulky, expensive techniques currently available.
- Convenient, safe way to continuously monitor mother and fetal well-being.
- Daily measurement results may be collected by a cellphone and uploaded to cloud for patient’s healthcare provider to remotely review and provide health suggestions.
- Monitors multiple physiological signals and movement activities for mother and fetus.
- Low power consumption.
- Offers way for early identification of adverse outcomes such as reduced uteroplacental perfusion and stillbirth.
Who should attend?
- Business development professionals
- Medical device developers and medtech health professionals
- Parties interested in scouting for technologies to improve fetal and maternal health
- Biotech/pharma/academia researchers
- Investors and entrepreneurs
Why attend?
- Assess co-developing the technology
- Interact with the inventor, ask questions and provide feedback
- Learn how to partner with NICHD (or NIH) facilitated by the NCI Technology Transfer Center
If you are interested in learning more about how to co-develop and/or license this technology, please contact Michael.Salgaller@nih.gov.