Innovation in Blood pressure instrument development - If you have idea apply for US/India Grant

Blood Pressure Measurement Technologies for Low-Resource Settings in the US and India - Hypertension diagnosis and management are critical needs in both the US and in India, and are opportune areas for technological innovation benefitting low-resource populations in both countries. The purpose of this FOA is to solicit research leading to the development of new blood-pressure measurement technologies for rapid, minimally intrusive, flexible monitoring and management of hypertension in underserved populations. These technologies must be noninvasive and minimally obtrusive. They should be usable in public areas for high-throughput screening, and/or be designed for individual use by untrained individuals in their own homes or regional healthcare settings. These new technologies would make substantial contributions to the improvement of hypertension diagnosis and management in both countries. A companion announcement has been released by the Indian government to support similar research by Indian investigators. All investigators funded by the US or India will share results at a yearly meeting and collaborations will be developed among investigators from both countries as the work progresses. Key Dates posted Date- July 10, 2014 Open Date (Earliest Submission Date) - August 26, 2014 Letter of Intent Due Date(s) - August 26, 2014 - See more at: http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/rfa-files/RFA-EB-14-002.html#_Part_1._Overview The 'million hearts' initiative (http://millionhearts.hhs.gov/index.html) sets a goal of preventing a million heart attacks and strokes over the next five years in the US. One of the four 'ABCS' of this initiative is blood pressure control. A new approach to the control of blood pressure in the 21st century is being made possible by the rapid advances in wireless communication technology, Electronic Health Records (EHR), modern approaches to non-linear control, and an array of effective blood pressure medications. However, central to any control is the actual measurement of blood pressure. The 'modern' technique of blood pressure measurement is over 100 years old. This approach has the key advantage of being relatively accurate. However, it also has some critical disadvantages for use as the sensor element in part of a modern system for blood pressure control or hypertension screening: Requires significant time and effort per measurement Results are not automatically integrated into the EHR This FOA is a call for applications targeting new non-invasive approaches to blood pressure measurement that are less intrusive, faster, less dependent on operator or user skill level than current approaches, and that can operate in low-resource settings such as the home or community environment. While the long-term goal of the project is to develop affordable technologies for low-resource settings, it is anticipated that initial prototyping costs may be quite high. Mass-production of successful prototypes can be considered to be one approach for ensuring affordability of any innovative technologies proposed in response to this FOA. Screening, diagnosis, and management of hypertension are difficult to achieve in low-resource/underserved populations. The need is great for new blood-pressure measurement systems that are affordable and readily available, either in individual homes, regional healthcare centers, or public settings, and are appropriate for the needs of the particular population(s) served. These blood pressure sensing systems must be durable, require little to no maintenance, and must integrate with communications devices such as cell phones and the internet. Blood-pressure measurement depends both on the pressure generated at the heart and on the transmission line characteristics of the arterial system. For the purposes of this FOA, a blood pressure measurement will be considered accurate if the measurement results correspond to the arterial pressure at the site of measurement. - See more at: http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/rfa-files/RFA-EB-14-002.html#_Part_1._Overview Specific Areas of Research Interest Appropriate topics include but are not limited to: High-throughput blood pressure systems: Systems capable of rapidly and efficiently measuring the blood pressure of a large number of individuals. Measurement should integrate with a routine daily activity such as interacting with a door, grocery store checkout, using a key fob, or interacting with other office items, etc. in such a way that there is minimal added effort required from the individual. The cost of these systems could be high on an absolute scale but low on a per-measurement basis. Minimal-interaction, low-cost blood-pressure measurement systems: Such devices should be capable of making measurements in a home environment in a way that achieves the measurement in a time frame that adds little or no burden to the individual. The cost of these systems should be consistent with personal use. These devices may be suitable for in-home use, or in regional care centers. It should be noted that the focus of this FOA is on developing novel non-invasive, minimally intrusive methods for measuring blood pressure. As such, applications that do not propose to design and develop truly novel non-invasive, minimally intrusive methods of measuring blood pressure will be deemed non-responsive to this FOA and will not undergo peer review or be considered for funding. Successful applicants may be asked to share their abstract and specific aims with the Indian funding agency so that the Indian funding agency may fund Indian investigators who best match up with their United States counterparts. Successful applicants will be required to attend an annual meeting with other grantees as well as those grantees who are funded by Indian agencies that are participating in this effort. Successful applicants are expected to share their research progress and ideas at these meetings. Supplemental collaborative studies will be developed through these discussions. Annual meetings will be scheduled alternating between the United States and India. Attendance by key personnel at each annual meeting is mandatory and this requirement should be taken into consideration before applying to this FOA. - See more at: http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/rfa-files/RFA-EB-14-002.html#_Part_1._Overview This is great opportunity for innovators. Do apply. Ask you need any help