Electrical engineering professor Patrick Mercier demonstrates the temporary tattoo alcohol biosensor and other UC San Diego wearable technologies to Congressional staff members.
In the wake of the March for Science, scientists and
science supporters worldwide are actively seeking ways to connect and engage
with their political representatives, in hopes of bridging the gap between
science and public policy.
Patrick Mercier, an electrical engineering professor at
UC San Diego, got the chance to do just that at an event on Capitol Hill in
Washington, D.C. He met with staff members working for representatives for San
Diego County and for California Senator Dianne Feinstein. He also showcased
research projects conducted under the umbrella of the Center for Wearable
Sensors at the Jacobs School of Engineering at UC San Diego.
The event was the BioMedical Technology Exhibition hosted
by the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE) in
partnership with the Congressional Research and Development Caucus and the
Congressional Robotics Caucus. Mercier was among a group of researchers to present
their cutting-edge technologies to Congressional staff in the U.S. House of
Representatives. The event took place on May 5, 2017.
Researchers from several universities and institutions
provided live demonstrations of their federally-funded biomedical engineering
devices and technologies that have the potential to revolutionize access to
health care. These researchers also participated in 18 meetings with Congressional
staff, facilitated by AIMBE — the first step in starting a dialog and becoming
a trusted advisor to their lawmakers.
At the exhibition, Mercier showcased several technologies
that he, along with nanoengineering professor Joseph Wang, developed at UC San
Diego: a temporary tattoo that monitors blood alcohol levels from sweat; a “Tricorder-like”
device that can be worn on the chest to simultaneously measure heart rate and
lactate levels; and MouthSense, which is a mouth guard sensor that monitors
biomarkers in saliva such as lactate, cortisol and uric acid. These
technologies demonstrate how UC San Diego researchers are developing wearable
devices that can be seamlessly integrated into everyday life to provide
continuous, non-invasive and real-time health monitoring.
“All staff members, particularly those in our local
offices were very enthusiastic about the technology we’ve developed and are
encouraged that investment in NIH research leads to new and interesting devices
that can potentially help improve healthcare and lower costs,” Mercier said. Such
investment, he said, facilitates commercialization of innovative, early-stage
technologies such as MouthSense, which Mercier and Wang spun off as a startup.
Mercier met with a variety of Congressional staff
members, including those from the offices of San Diego county Congress members
Scott Peters, Darrell Issa and Susan Davis, as well as the office of California
Senator Feinstein.
“It was nice to personally explain to these offices that
funding NIH (and other scientific research agencies like NSF) has not only a
local financial impact, but also a possibility to have a long term impact on
healthcare in general. The timing of this event was perfect, as congress just
passed an omnibus bill to increase NIH funding, which is now being looked at by
the Senate.”
Here’s a list of other technologies showcased at AIMBE’s
BioMedical Technology Exhibition:
·
Smart glasses that adjust prescription based on
where you are looking (University of Utah)
·
MobiLab: Cell phone-based rapid chlamydia test (Johns
Hopkins University)
·
Robotic cane (University of Arkansas at Little
Rock)
·
Unobtrusive ultrasound system for blood pressure
measurement (MIT)
·
MRI compatible robotics (Children’s National
Health System)
·
LASER treatment of burns and traumatic scars (Harvard
University and Miami Dermatology and Laser)
·
Real-time surgical guidance in neck surgery
using imaging (Vanderbilt University)
