Wearable breathing monitor for people with COPD
Official title: Bilateral Acoustic Sensing and Automated Breathing Segmentation for Remote Monitoring of Patients with COPD: A Longitudinal Study
Funded at Lasarrus Clinic and Research Center, INC. · NIH-11196388 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A small wearable sensor listens to breathing and tracks changes to help people with COPD notice worsening symptoms earlier.
Quick facts
| Grant type | Sbir 2 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Lasarrus Clinic and Research Center, INC. NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Baltimore, United States) |
| Project start | September 20, 2024 |
| Project end | June 30, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $926,715 |
| NIH project number | 4R44HL172444-02 |
| Project ID | NIH-11196388 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
People with a clinical diagnosis of COPD who can wear a small chest sensor and connect to remote monitoring (via smartphone or provided hub) are the best candidates.
✕Less likely to help
People without COPD, those unable or unwilling to wear the device, or those without the ability to use remote monitoring tools are unlikely to benefit.
What this research studies
You would wear a small multimodal sensor that records breathing sounds from both sides of your chest and other physiologic signals while you go about daily life. The system uses automated algorithms to separate and analyze breaths, coughs, and breathing patterns over weeks to find early signs of COPD worsening. Data are sent remotely so clinicians and caregivers can watch trends and patients can get alerts about potential flares. The project partners with the Johns Hopkins Clinical Research Network and focuses on improving adherence and early symptom recognition for underserved patients in the Mid-Atlantic.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, it could help patients and clinicians spot COPD flare-ups earlier and reduce hospital readmissions.
How similar studies have gone: Related wearable and acoustic monitoring studies have shown promise for detecting coughs and breathing changes, but automated bilateral breathing segmentation for long-term COPD monitoring is relatively new.
Where this research is happening
-
Lasarrus Clinic and Research Center, INC.
Baltimore, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Emokpae, Lloyd — Lasarrus Clinic and Research Center, INC.
- Study coordinator: Emokpae, Lloyd
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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.