Artificial cilia monitors mucus in human airways

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Researchers have developed an artificial cilia capable of monitoring mucus conditions in human airways to better detect infection, airway obstruction, or the severity of diseases like cystic fibrosis.

A system of artificial cilia capable of monitoring mucus conditions in human airways to better detect infection, airway obstruction, or the severity of diseases like cystic fibrosis, chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases, and lung cancer
A system of artificial cilia capable of monitoring mucus conditions in human airways to better detect infection, airway obstruction, or the severity of diseases like cystic fibrosis, chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases, and lung cancer - Vanderbilt University

The team at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee was led by Xiaoguang Dong, assistant professor of mechanical engineering and their work is detailed in PNAS.

In their paper, the researchers noted that continuously monitoring human airway conditions is crucial for timely interventions, especially when airway stents are implanted to alleviate central airway obstruction in lung cancer and other diseases.

Mucus conditions offer important biomarkers for indicating inflammation and stent patency but remain challenging to monitor. Current methods rely on computational tomography imaging and bronchoscope inspection but pose risks due to radiation and lack the ability to provide continuous real-time feedback outside of hospitals.

Mimicking the sensing ability of biological cilia, Dong and his team developed novel technology for detecting mucus conditions, including viscosity and layer thickness, which are important biomarkers for disease severity.

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“The sensing mechanism for mucus viscosity leverages external magnetic fields to actuate a magnetic artificial cilium and sense its shape using a flexible strain-gauge,” the Vanderbilt researchers wrote. “Additionally, we report an artificial cilium with capacitance sensing for mucus layer thickness, offering unique self-calibration, adjustable sensitivity, and range, all enabled by external magnetic fields generated by a wearable magnetic actuation system.”

The researchers tested the method by deploying the sensors independently or in conjunction with an airway stent within an artificial trachea and sheep trachea. Sensing signals are transferred wirelessly to a smart phone or the cloud for further data analysis and disease diagnosis.

“The proposed sensing mechanisms and devices pave the way for real-time monitoring of mucus conditions, facilitating early disease detection and providing stent patency alerts, thereby allowing timely interventions and personalised care,” according to the study.

Earlier this year, Dong was awarded an R21 Trailblazer Award by the US National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB) of the US National Institutes of Health (NIH) to pursue a project titled 'Wirelessly actuated ciliary stent for minimally invasive treatment of cilia dysfunction.'

The Trailblazer R21 Award supports new and early-stage investigators pursuing research programs that are of high interest to NIBIB, at the interface of life sciences with engineering and the physical sciences.

Artificial cilia