Real-time sensor network to track inflammatory cytokines in chronic illness
Integrating Real-Time Multi-System Cytokine Signaling in Chronic Disease
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 ID | NIH-11394190 on NIH RePORTER |
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.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Future human testing would likely focus on people with chronic inflammatory conditions such as autoimmune diseases, inflammation-driven cancers, or chronic cardiovascular inflammation.
Not a fit: People without inflammation-driven conditions or those seeking immediate therapeutic effects rather than monitoring are unlikely to gain direct benefit from this work.
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 performed: 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
Stony Brook, United States
- 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
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 below.