05/09/2011
By
Joel Brown, The Boston GlobeThe device is tiny, sitting at the tip of an optic fiber about 125 microns in diameter. Sliding through the artery of a cardiac patient, though, it can make a big difference.
It’s a sensor developed by assistant professor Xingwei Wang of the department of electrical and computer engineering at University of Massachusetts Lowell, designed to allow doctors to measure blood pressure in real time as it travels through a patient’s arteries. The information it sends back helps to assess the severity of blockages, which could mean better treatment decisions — and could make the technology a money-maker for the university.
“We’re very excited about this technology, and have been for some time,’’ said Jill Murthi, associate director of UMass Lowell’s Office of Commercial Ventures and Intellectual Property, which has started the patent application process. “It’s conducive for a variety of medical applications, but it may well have much broader applications outside medical devices.’’