Safe biomonitoring by bioICT integrated wearables

Project co-leaders: Professor Seppo Vainio, Assoc. Professor Valerio Izzi, Professor Sylvain Sebert and PhD Ville Pimenoff

Human body fluids, including sweat, contain a wealth of nano- and macro-sized extracellular vesicles (EVs) linked to the regulation of human physiology as they transfer key homeostasis-controlling molecules, including active nucleic acids, proteins, and metabolites. EVs offer novel ways to biomonitor diseases underpinning our aim to propose EV-based biomarker scores to predict and study new risk or protective factors to pathological conditions and diseases. We will develop and make use of non-invasive skin patches with future aims to identify and monitor persons at high risk for specific diseases. With the help of biobank/cohort data, AI and machine learning are expected to be able to prioritize which markers are associated with a risk for targeted diseases, speeding up the selection of EV-shuttled markers. The project shall offer new ways to identify diseases by focusing on EV as bioindicators, monitorable through novel integrated EVs readout wearable technologies. Ultimately, the project will likely lead to the development of innovative prevention and therapeutic technologies paving the way for further BioICT applications.

Strategic research project of the University of Oulu
Focus institute: Infotech Oulu
Faculty: Faculty of Information Technology and Electrical Engineering (ITEE)