Chen awarded ONR research grant for detection of TBI
Research led by Hong Chen aims to develop detectors that can identify areas of cavitation in the brain that can result in traumatic brain injury
Hong Chen, assistant professor of biomedical engineering at the McKelvey School of Engineering and of radiation oncology at the School of Medicine, received a $470,500 research grant from the Office of Naval Research to detect traumatic brain injury (TBI) using ultrasound sensors.
This research represents just one arm of a multi-faceted approach in the Chen Laboratory to advance the use of ultrasound sensor technology to diagnose and treat disorders of the brain, including cancer and injury.
A proposed mechanism for TBI occurs through the generation of sound bubbles in a process called cavitation, which may be detected by custom-designed ultrasound sensors. Through this award, the Chen laboratory will develop passive detectors to identify cavitation in the brain and develop new algorithms that enable the spatial localization of the cavitation site. This work will support the development of passive, wearable sensors that can be used to assess the risk of cavitation-induced brain injury and to guide the diagnosis and treatment of injury.
