The Validation Study of Bioelectronics

Evaluation of Wearable Multi-modality Sensors for Monitoring Vital Signs

The purpose of this study is to investigate the safe wearability and basic functions of the multi-modality sensors fabricated in the PI lab.

Study Overview

• Status: Recruiting
• Conditions: Healthy; Health Behavior
• Intervention / Treatment: Device: Multi-modality Noninvasive Biosensor; Device: Oximeter; Device: Portable Blood Pressure Monitor; Device: Vicorder Pulse Wave Velocity Monitor

Detailed Description

Members of this research team have developed innovative, wearable devices capable of being comfortably and continuously worn while recording diverse physiologic measurements. The purpose of this study is to validate the safe wearability and basic functions of the novel biocompatible electronic sensor that will allow continuous, non-invasive physiological measurements. This study aims to obtain preliminary data on the safety and functional aspects of the developed devices and compare it to approved medical equipments (including Abbott Medquip Oximeter, Omron blood pressure monitor, and Vicorder device for pulse wave velocity), which will pave the way for future study that focuses certain disease model. Participants will be randomly assigned to Condition A, and wear the devices before and after exercise for 15 minutes each time, or Condition B and wear the devices for 2 hours continuously. During their 1-hour or 2.5-hour lab visit, study participants will wear the biocompatible electronic sensors and three approved medical devices during a slow deep breath, before and after a 6-minute brisk walk, or for an extended period of time (2 hours). Participants will return to the lab for two brief visits, 48 and 96 hours after the device wearing, to determine if any suspected adverse events related to study procedures or devices emerged after they left the research site. For the future study, we will plan to 1) optimize the devices for use in patients needing FiO2 weaning, 2) demonstrate the reliability, and accuracy of these devices for continuous physiological measurements, including but not limited to blood pressure, heart rate (HR), cerebral blood flow, temperature, glucose concentration, and respiratory rate, and 3) demonstrate these devices are preferred by patients to current measurement tools. Once validated, such sensors could fundamentally change the way blood flow, blood pressure, or related parameters are monitored for patients, eliminating risks associated with invasive monitoring, allowing continuous, real-time detection of clinically meaningful changes in the patients, advancing knowledge of hormonal signatures and physiological signals preceding clinically meaningful events.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Estimated): 22
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

• Study Contact: Name: Hannah L Weisbecker, BS; Phone Number: 6786417484; Email: hannahlw@alumni.unc.edu
• Study Contact Backup: Name: Wubin Bai, PhD; Phone Number: 9198439334; Email: wbai@unc.edu

Study Locations

• United States
  • North Carolina
    • Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States, 27514
      • Recruiting
      • Kenan Laboratories at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
      • Contact: Hannah L Weisbecker, BS; Phone Number: 678-641-7484; Email: hannahlw@alumni.unc.edu
      • Principal Investigator: Wubin Bai, PhD

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 18 years to 99 years (Adult, Older Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Individuals with ages between 18 and 99.
• Healthy individuals (not known to suffer any significant illness relevant to the proposed study).

Exclusion Criteria:

• Pregnant or lactating.
• History of active (clinically significant) skin disorders that make skin vulnerable to contact conventional electronic devices.
• History of allergic response to silicones or adhesives (such as 3M Tegaderm).
• Broken, damaged or irritated skin or rashes near the sensor application sites (finger, wrist, temple, subclavian, arm, neck, and thigh).
• Subjects who are physically or cognitively unable to normally perform activities of daily living, assessed at the discretion of the investigator to ensure safe completion of study tasks.
• Subjects who are unable to participate in moderate exercise for 6 minutes.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Screening
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Wearing Biosensor Before & After Exercise; Each study participant will wear the bioelectronic sensors during a slow deep breath. Participants will wear the sensors and devices for 15 minutes before and after a brisk 6-minute walk.	Device: Multi-modality Noninvasive Biosensor; The wearable sensor devices will be placed on the finger, wrist, temple, subclavian, arm, neck, and thigh of the participant and will provide continuous tissue mechanics, heart rate, respiration rate, blood flow, and pulse oxygenation measurements continuously throughout the experimental period.; Device: Oximeter; The oximeter device will be placed on the right middle finger of the participant and will provide continuous pulse oxygenation and heart rate measurements continuously throughout the experimental period.; Other Names: Abbott Medquip; Device: Portable Blood Pressure Monitor; The blood pressure monitor device will be placed on the left arm of the participant and will take a blood pressure measurement every 5 minutes throughout the 15 minute experimental period, and every 15 minutes throughout the 2 hour experimental period.; Other Names: Omron; Device: Vicorder Pulse Wave Velocity Monitor; The pulse wave velocity monitor device will be placed on the right side of the neck and the right thigh and will provide measurements continuously throughout the experimental period.
Experimental: Wearing Biosensor for an Extended Period; Each study participant will wear the bioelectronic sensors during a slow deep breath. Participants will wear the sensors and devices continuously for 2 hours.	Device: Multi-modality Noninvasive Biosensor; The wearable sensor devices will be placed on the finger, wrist, temple, subclavian, arm, neck, and thigh of the participant and will provide continuous tissue mechanics, heart rate, respiration rate, blood flow, and pulse oxygenation measurements continuously throughout the experimental period.; Device: Oximeter; The oximeter device will be placed on the right middle finger of the participant and will provide continuous pulse oxygenation and heart rate measurements continuously throughout the experimental period.; Other Names: Abbott Medquip; Device: Portable Blood Pressure Monitor; The blood pressure monitor device will be placed on the left arm of the participant and will take a blood pressure measurement every 5 minutes throughout the 15 minute experimental period, and every 15 minutes throughout the 2 hour experimental period.; Other Names: Omron; Device: Vicorder Pulse Wave Velocity Monitor; The pulse wave velocity monitor device will be placed on the right side of the neck and the right thigh and will provide measurements continuously throughout the experimental period.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Mean Comfort Level of Wearable Sensors	A questionnaire about the comfort of the wearable sensors will be measured using the Likert scale, which ranges from 1 to 5 and is used to measure attitudes and perception changes about the our sensor. The minimum value 1 represents "strongly disagree" and the maximum value 5 represents "strongly agree", thus higher scores represent a better outcome.	Questionnaire completed within 96 hours after device application.
Mean Safety Level of Wearable Sensors	A questionnaire about the safety and reactions to the wearable sensors will be measured using the Likert scale, which ranges from 1 to 5 and is used to measure attitudes and perception changes about the safety of our sensor. The minimum value 1 represents "strongly disagree" and the maximum value 5 represents "strongly agree", thus higher scores represent a better outcome.	Questionnaire completed within 96 hours after device application.
Mean Agreement Over Time of Physiological Parameters between Newly-Fabricated Wearable Sensors and Approved Devices	Signals from the approved medical devices will measure tissue mechanics, heart rate, respiration rate, blood flow, and pulse oxygenation measurements and these data will be compared to the signals from our sensors. The difference over time will be measured on a scale from a minimum of 0 and a maximum of 1, with 0 being the best outcome and representing the lowest difference between the sensing data from the different devices.	Through study completion, an average of 15 minutes.

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
• Collaborators: North Carolina Translational and Clinical Sciences Institute
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Wubin Bai, PhD, Assistant Professor of Applied Physical Sciences

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): January 9, 2024
• Primary Completion (Estimated): November 1, 2026
• Study Completion (Estimated): November 1, 2026

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: May 19, 2022
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: May 25, 2022
• First Posted (Actual): May 31, 2022

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): April 17, 2026
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: April 15, 2026
• Last Verified: April 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: wearable; non-invasive; near-infrared spectroscopy; vital signs; sensor; multi-modality; safe wearability; optoelectronic system; optical polarimetry; skin-interfaced
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Behavior; Health Behavior
• Other Study ID Numbers: 22-0163; 550KR272101 (Other Grant/Funding Number: NC TraCS Pilot Award)

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: YES
• IPD Plan Description: Deidentified individual data that supports the results may be shared beginning 9 to 36 months following publication provided the investigator who proposes to use the data has approval from an Institutional Review Board (IRB), Independent Ethics Committee (IEC), or Research Ethics Board (REB), as applicable, and executes a data use/sharing agreement with the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
• IPD Sharing Time Frame: Beginning 9 and continuing for 36 months following publication.
• IPD Sharing Access Criteria: Investigator has approved IRB, IEC, or REB and an executed data use/sharing agreement with the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
• IPD Sharing Supporting Information Type: STUDY_PROTOCOL; SAP; ICF

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: Yes