Point-of-care diagnostic and monitoring technologies for mood disorders in mental health (Care4Mood)
Principle investigator
Co-investigators
Dr M. Hickey
Collaborator
Professor E. Palazidou, Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry
Project overview
This work proposes the development of new sensitive and accurate point-of-care (POC) diagnostic and monitoring portable devices for use by mood disorder patients at home. These technologies will allow for the quantification of (a) pharmaceutical blood levels ensuring that patients maintain a therapeutic state and are not at danger of toxicity-related complications, and (b) stress biomarkers which correlate with possible depressive relapses in mood disorder patients, allowing for timely intervention. An inter-disciplinary team with expertise in MEMS, biomedical sensors, biochemistry and psychopharmacology has been established to provide these solutions. The POC devices will include miniaturised sensor platforms for depositing drops of blood/saliva, optical and electrical impedance sensors to interrogate the sample, portable instrumentation, and algorithms to rapidly determine concentration levels. Such devices will have a significant impact on clinical decisions and health outcomes for mood disorder patients.