NWO-take off grant for feasibility study on fish-inspired biomedical flowsensors

Dr. Amar M. Kamat, a postdoctoral researcher in ENTEG, has been awarded the NWO Take-off (Phase 1) grant. The 6-month project will be used to test the commercial feasibility of the scientific research he conducts with Dr. Ajay Kottapalli (Asst. Prof., APE group and co-applicant in the proposal) and Prof. Dr. Bayu Jayawardhana (Prof., DTPA group). Specifically, the project will involve: (i) conducting laboratory tests using bioinspired flow sensors to measure extremely low flow rates (~ mL/hr) typically encountered in intravenous infusions and urine drainage systems, and (ii) building a business case for the flow sensors to be used in biomedical applications. Pilot tests for the sensing systems will be conducted in collaboration with the UMCG following the Takeoff project. The proposed work will enable clinicians to efficiently diagnose illnesses and adverse drug events in the ICU and will also mitigate nurse workload by automating many measurements previously performed manually. The researchers aim to incorporate a startup company over the course of the feasibility project with a view to commercializing the biomedical flow sensors. Amar is also currently enrolled in the 1-year business development program of VentureLab North, a business incubator for startups in the Northern Netherlands.

Project title: Fish-inspired microsensors for automated biomedical flow monitoring in ICU’s (VitalSENSE).
NWO Project number: 18632
Link to NWO News