Grant: Research Tools and Instruments

Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death worldwide and hypertension is evaluated to be responsible for 50% of them. The requested portable hemodynamic monitoring system is essential to Prof. Landry's research program on cuffless blood pressure (BP) measurement, whose long-term goal is to create cardiovascular digital twins. The cardiovascular digital twin could revolutionize cardiovascular care by simulating how a patient will respond to various treatments, potentially helping clinicians to personalize treatments to optimize patient outcomes. The requested system is also crucial to his research program on developing an active calf compression system to reduce BP drops in the elderly, and will benefit many researchers including the co-applicant, Prof. Lebel. This lack of equipment represents a major obstacle to the applicant's research program and would benefit many researchers at the Centre de recherche sur le vieillissement and at Université de Sherbrooke. The requested BIOPACr system is a data acquisition system to acquire many different physiological signals, such as the requested photoplethysmography, electrocardiography, and impedance cardiography, that will accelerate the process of designing novel devices. The BIOPACr volume-clamping beat-by-beat BP measurement is necessary for the applicant's research program as it is the only measurement method to obtain continuous BP monitoring in a non-invasive way. Without it, prototyping devices and algorithms will be next to impossible due to their data-driven nature. The applicant has all the experience required to use the requested monitoring system with years of experience with BIOPACr. Delay in procuring the equipment will delay delivering research results which can torpedo Prof. Landry's career as a young researcher. The training of highly qualified personnel (HQP) on the requested physiological measurement system will be offered through a platform, PESI, to ensure optimal use of the tools. Furthermore, PESI will ensure equitable use of the equipment via an online booking system that facilitates the scheduling of experiments. PESI uses a user-pay principle to collect the necessary funds for proper equipment maintenance. The requested equipment, with its flexibility to add additional sensors, is essential to complement the equipment available at PESI, such as a functional near-infrared spectroscopy system, a probe that will be used to monitor arterial flows. Moreover, the modular nature of the requested physiological monitoring system will ensure its use in various research facilities at the Université de Sherbrooke. With the requested equipment, HQP will receive comprehensive training within an interdisciplinary environment with the most advanced equipment available in their field. The skills acquired will be essential for successful careers in several industries crucial to Canada's economy, including computer science, healthcare, and the biomedical and pharmaceutical industries.