Smartphone checks of blood flow for long-healing wounds
mHealth Technologies for Assessing Blood Perfusion in Chronic Wounds
Using a smartphone camera and app to measure blood flow in people with chronic wounds to help track healing at home.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | State University of New York at Buffalo NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Amherst, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11237071 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
You would use a smartphone attachment and app that takes special photos of the wound area to measure blood flow. The team will combine those images with computer learning to find patterns (biomarkers) that relate to healing. Volunteers will come to clinic visits for comparison tests and then try the tool at home while researchers study how easy it is to learn and use. The project focuses on making a low-cost, user-friendly way to monitor wounds between doctor visits.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Adults with chronic wounds that need ongoing monitoring—such as diabetic foot ulcers, pressure sores, or venous leg ulcers—who can use or have help using a smartphone.
Not a fit: People without chronic wounds, those whose wounds need immediate surgical treatment, or individuals without access to a compatible smartphone are unlikely to benefit from this project.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could let patients monitor tissue blood flow at home to spot healing problems earlier and guide treatment, possibly reducing infections and amputations.
How similar studies have performed: Early work on smartphone imaging and perfusion measures has shown promise, but combining multispectral imaging with machine learning for home wound monitoring is a newer approach still being tested.
Where this research is happening
Amherst, United States
- State University of New York at Buffalo — Amherst, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Xu, Wenyao — State University of New York at Buffalo
- Study coordinator: Xu, Wenyao
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.