Real-time sensor network to track inflammatory cytokines in chronic illness
Official title: Integrating Real-Time Multi-System Cytokine Signaling in Chronic Disease
Funded at State University New York Stony Brook · NIH-11394190 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project develops tiny injectable sensors that continuously track inflammatory proteins to better understand and eventually help manage chronic conditions like autoimmune disease, cancer, and heart disease.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | State University New York Stony Brook NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Stony Brook, United States) |
| Project start | August 1, 2021 |
| Project end | May 31, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $365,190 |
| NIH project number | 7R35GM142833-06 |
| Project ID | NIH-11394190 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Future human testing would likely focus on people with chronic inflammatory conditions such as autoimmune diseases, inflammation-driven cancers, or chronic cardiovascular inflammation.
✕Less likely to help
People without inflammation-driven conditions or those seeking immediate therapeutic effects rather than monitoring are unlikely to gain direct benefit from this work.
What this research studies
Researchers plan to build fluorescent carbon nanosensors that can detect several inflammatory cytokines at once and embed them in a soft, injectable gel that stays under the skin. The sensors are designed to report rapid changes in cytokine levels that standard blood tests miss and to function for months without moving. Work will start with validation and tuning in mice, including tests that inject known cytokines and disease models to confirm sensitivity and specificity. The goal is a minimally invasive network that maps how inflammatory signals change over time in chronic illnesses and could later be adapted for human use.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this technology could let patients and clinicians monitor inflammatory activity continuously and time treatments or detect flares earlier.
How similar studies have gone: Related nanosensor work exists, but multiplexed, long-term in vivo cytokine monitoring is largely novel and has not been proven in humans.
Where this research is happening
-
State University New York Stony Brook
Stony Brook, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Williams, Ryan Martin — State University New York Stony Brook
- Study coordinator: Williams, Ryan Martin
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.