Innovation Corps Teams Program

We have developed technology for detecting and measuring tissue/organ injury. Specifically, our innovation introduces a new method for monitoring and measuring the content of circulating extracellular vesicles (EVs), including their sizes and specific markers, which can be analyzed in biospecimens and liquid biopsies. EVs and their cargo directly indicate the severity of tissue/organ injury, help to track disease progression, and allow for assessment of the responses to treatments. One immediate application of this technology is in identifying and classifying head trauma, particularly traumatic brain injury (TBI). Several key characteristics of EVs make them valuable source of biomarkers. The cargo of EVs is shielded by a lipid bilayer from proteases and nucleases found in bodily fluids. EVs are stable and can travel long distances in the bloodstream. Moreover, EVs can easily pass through the blood-brain barrier (BBB). Most importantly, the content of EVs reflects the processes of their originating cells. These unique traits make EVs a dependable source of biomarkers. Leveraging these characteristics, our technology can detect changes in EVs' biophysical properties (number and size) and alterations in their specific content in response to trauma. We aim to develop a point-of-care device for quantitatively measuring the severity of TBI by analyzing EVs and their content in blood test. TBI is a significant cause of death and disability globally, imposing substantial social and economic burdens. In the US alone, there were around 214,110 TBI-related hospitalizations in 2020, with 69,473 TBI-related deaths in 2021, averaging over 586 hospitalizations and 190 deaths per day. However, these figures do not capture the numerous TBIs, particularly mild cases, which may only receive treatment in emergency departments, primary care, or urgent care settings, or may go untreated entirely. Current methods for diagnosing TBI rely on neurological exams and imaging tests, both of which are subjective and prone to misdiagnosis, especially in mild cases. Moreover, both required specialized equipment and well trained personnel limiting their use to larger medical centers. However, accurate identification of TBI is crucial due to its link with long- term disability and increased risk of neurodegenerative diseases like Parkinson's or Alzheimer's. Our technology aims to detect and classify TBI by measuring EVs and their content in a simple blood test that doesn't require specialized equipment or trained personnel. It can be used in sports arenas, battlefields, and emergency room settings.