Revolutionizing disease and environmental detection with portable optoacoustic sensing

Informations projet

RSENSE

N° de convention de subvention: 862811

DOI

10.3030/862811

Projet clôturé

Date de signature de la CE 30 Août 2019

Date de début 1 Janvier 2020

Date de fin 31 Decembre 2024

Financé au titre de

• EXCELLENT SCIENCE - Future and Emerging Technologies (FET)

Coût total

€ 3 057 956,25

Contribution de l’UE

€ 3 057 956,25

Coordonné par

TECHNISCHE UNIVERSITAET MUENCHEN
Germany

Periodic Reporting for period 4 - RSENSE (Revolutionizing disease and environmental detection with portable optoacoustic sensing)

Période du rapport: 2023-09-01 au 2024-12-31

Résumé du contexte et des objectifs généraux du projet

RSENSE revolutionized optical sensing, by changing the paradigm in portable sensors for early detection in healthcare and on-board automotive and environmental setups. Commonly available methods, which are often bulky, expensive, slow, and not suitable for widespread, point-of-care, or real-time diagnostics, presented a real limitation in these fields. The RSENSE consortium developed a new class of portable optoacoustic sensors (sPROPT) capable of delivering high-resolution, non-invasive, and quantitative measurements for both clinical and environmental applications.
RSENSE primary goals included merging advanced data analytics – both deterministic and machine-learning approaches – with novel biological, metabolic, and environmental sensing capabilities, not offered by existing non-invasive technologies. By generating new knowledge on most-suitable components for sPROPT, the project delivered two optoacoustic sensors, enabling rapid, single-point measurements that assess disease and environmental parameters quantitatively, thereby transforming early detection and management of cardio-metabolic diseases and enhancing environmental monitoring.
Validation of the RSENSE technology included phantom samples, animal models, and initial human testing for the clinical sensor, and real-world measurements onboard a ferry, a car and a motorcycle for the environmental sensor, demonstrating accurate detection, high repeatability, and robust performance.
RSENSE clinical sensor redefined state-of-the-art microvasculature measurement by integrating advanced probe engineering, a unified clinical interface, precision validation, and machine-learning-driven biomarker extraction.
RSENSE environmental sensor stands out as the first portable, battery-powered optoacoustic black carbon sensor tested under real-world driving conditions, exhibiting high accuracy and field suitability alongside low-cost. Its miniaturized design was created to meet emerging regulatory and market needs.
In conclusion, RSENSE delivered groundbreaking detection abilities for automotive, environmental, and medical use, establishing an innovative ecosystem and reinforcing European leadership in optoacoustic sensing technology. Its transformative solutions significantly impacted the fields of early disease detection and environmental assessment.

Travail effectué depuis le début du projet jusqu’à la fin de la période considérée dans le rapport et principaux résultats atteints jusqu’à présent

The goal of RSENSE was to address major technology gaps enabling analysis of time domain and frequency domain signals. Our high-sensitivity, portable sensors allow us to monitor diseases and environmental emissions. RSENSE has made significant progress in the design of individual components for the new technology (WP2), including improvement of miniaturized transducers in terms of sensitivity and artefact reduction, different light sources and wavelength, and other optics components. In parallel to the evolution of the sensors and their applications, great progress on the development of data analysis tools and algorithms has been made.
These great results allowed us to assemble the two sensors and initiate tests in laboratory and real-world environments (WP3).
The environmental sensor prototype was validated in three real-world situations:
- On-Board Automotive Sensing: despite vehicle vibrations, it exhibited a reliable and dynamic time-response equivalent to reference particle number measurements, and confirmed the suitability for transient event detection (e.g. cold starts), where emissions spike.
- Motorcycle Exhaust Measurement: dedicated sampling and dilution systems were adapted for motorcycle emissions measurement, a challenging application due to exhaust pulsations and high concentrations.
- Ship Emission Monitoring: tested on-board the Stena Germanica ferry, operating without dilution under high-concentration conditions, highlighting applicability in high-emission, real-world shipping environments.
The clinical sensor was validated under the following scenarios:
- Phantom studies: using custom-fabricated samples, the sensor accurately located single sutures in depth and estimated diameters.
- Animal Model: studies of vascular remodeling in diet-induced diabetic mice versus controls.
- Human Measurements: initial tests using a custom-fabricated laser module and a commercial solid-state laser on a healthy human subject; the RSENSE team also repurposed data from previous studies, enabling feasibility studies.
The RSENSE consortium has proactively communicated about the project results and updates via its website (new version released in early 2022) and social media (LinkedIn and Twitter), with the aim to maximize the visibility of the project and the information of stakeholders (WP1). RSENSE project results have been presented in 12 peer-reviewed publications, 1 preprint, and at several conferences.

Progrès au-delà de l’état des connaissances et impact potentiel prévu (y compris l’impact socio-économique et les conséquences sociétales plus larges du projet jusqu’à présent)

RSENSE aimed to provide a new class of optoacoustic sensors that merge 1) advanced data analytics (deterministic & machine-learning) that can integrate further information (e.g. -omics), with 2) an unique biological, metabolic (and environmental) parameters measured, not available to any other non-invasive sensor today, and the potential to offer 3) quantitative assessment of disease and environmental parameters using a simple single-point, non-invasive one-second measurement.
Features of the new technology played a transformative role in early detection of cardio-metabolic diseases and are urgently needed in environmental applications.
The RSENSE environmental sensor, for example, was the first portable, battery-powered optoacoustic black carbon sensor (BC) tested directly onboard a car during real driving emissions cycles. It is a pioneer, portable, and robust optoacoustic instrument for BC measurements. The environmental sensor demonstrated high accuracy, repeatability, and stability compared to gold-standard reference methods. Its robust design ensured field suitability, miniaturization, and low-cost production, placing the sensor in a favorable scenario for new regulatory and market demands for portable, reliable BC measurements.
Through the integration of miniaturized design, advanced probe engineering, a unified clinical interface, high-precision validation, and machine-learning-powered biomarker extraction, RSENSE delivered a clinical sensor that not only advanced but redefined the state of the art. The system’s ability to provide high-resolution, non-invasive, and quantitative measurements of microvasculature, coupled with its user-centric design and scalability, marked a transformative step forward in chronic disease detection and management.
Successful completion of RSENSE resulted in ground-breaking optoacoustic detection abilities in automotive, environmental, and medical applications. Supported by experienced partners in research and exploitation, RSENSE initiated an innovative ecosystem with European leadership.

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