Awardee Organization(s): PyrAmes Inc.
Principal Investigator(s): Xina Quan, PhD
Official Project Title: Improved Algorithms for Wearable Blood Pressure Monitoring for Older Adults
AITC Partner: PennAITech
Website(s): https://pyrameshealth.com/
Older adults with high blood pressure (BP) are at increased risk of severe health concerns, e.g. heart disease, congestive heart failure, ischemic stroke, cerebral hemorrhage, vascular dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. Frequent measurements improve BP control, leading to improved outcomes.
A significant barrier to BP control is obtaining sufficient measurements for effective management. Continuous monitoring with invasive arterial lines is limited to critical care facilities. Periodic cuff measurements through ambulatory BP monitoring provide an indication of BP variation, but devices are cumbersome and uncomfortable, leading to incorrect or insufficient usage.
A more convenient, cost-effective BP monitoring method providing passive measurements and actionable information potentially leads to reduced risk from cardiovascular disease. PyrAmes has developed a comfortable, easy-to-use sensor band to monitor BP, enabling long-term, personalized BP management. It is soft, flexible, and lightweight, and has been validated for use with patients with fragile skin. Our innovative approach uses patented capacitive sensors to capture pulse waveform data, which is processed on a connected mobile device with neural networks to accurately determine BP values and provide detailed information about cardiovascular health.
Our first device, Boppli®, was FDA-cleared in 2023 for continuously monitoring the BP of critically-ill neonates. Our adult monitor uses identical sensors and validated software infrastructure and has shown initial feasibility. This project accelerates development for the older adult population, leading to FDA clearance and commercialization.
Our technology has the potential to become as ubiquitous for BP measurement as pulse oximeters are today, due to its accuracy, convenience, and ease of use.