Profusa wins $7.5m DARPA grant for implantable biosensors

San Francisco-based tissue-integrated sensor maker Profusa said today it won a $7.5 million grant from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency and the U.S. Army Research Office for the development of implantable biosensors. The new sensors will be designed for the simultaneous, continuous monitoring of multiple body chemistries, the company said, with their initial use slated to provide real-time monitoring of combat soldier’s health status. “Profusa’s vision is to replace a point-in-time chemistry panel that measures multiple bio­markers, such as oxygen, glucose, lactate, urea, and ions with a biosensor that provides a continuous stream of wireless data. DARPA’s mission is to make pivotal investments in breakthrough tech­nologies for national security. We are gratified to be awarded this grant to accelerate the development of our novel tissue-integrating sensors for application to soldier health and peak performance,” CEO Ben Hwang said in prepared remarks. The biosensors are placed just under the skin with a specially designed injector, Profusa said. Each sensor is a flexible fiber, between 2 and 5 mm long, composed of “smart hydrogel,” and are designed to be integrated into the body’s tissue to overcome the foreign body response for more than 1 year, the company said. “Long-lasting, implantable biosensors that provide continuous measurement of multiple body chemistries will enable monitoring of a soldier’...
Source: Mass Device - Category: Medical Equipment Authors: Tags: Business/Financial News Diagnostics Profusa Source Type: news