Injecting this sensor under your skin could prevent future pandemics

One of the scariest parts of the coronavirus is its dormant period: An infected person could be walking around further spreading the disease for up to two weeks before they even show any symptoms that they’re sick.

But what if there were a way to know whether a person was sick before the fever and coughing start?

As spotted by Nextgov, biotech company Profusa announced Tuesday that it was initiating a DARPA-funded study to see whether its biosensor that it injects under the skin can help detect the flu up to three weeks early. The hope is that it could eventually be used to root out pandemics or bio-attacks in the future, too.

Early detection for the flu or, ya know, bio-terrorism, sounds great. But an injectable subdermal sensor that’s paid for by the U.S. military (DARPA is the research arm of the Department of Defense) sounds a bit too dystopian for our current moment of mass surveillance and rising totalitarianism around the globe.

Not to worry — the subdermal sensor doesn’t actually collect or transmit any data without a component above the skin. If you can get over the initial conceptual discomfort, the idea could have promise. 

Here’s how it works.

The company’s Lumee Oxygen Platform monitors tissue oxygen levels through a subdermal sensor. That’s then paired with a data probe adhered to the skin above the sensor, which transmits information to a smartphone or other devices. 

Fluctuations in tissue oxygen level could indicate that a person is getting sick before they know it themselves. The aim of the study is to develop an algorithmic early detection system that can translate biological changes into preventative healthcare.

“The Lumee Oxygen Platform can potentially function as a sort of canary in a coal mine for infectious disease, since subtle changes in oxygen at the tissue level may signal trouble and can help clinicians course correct quickly to avoid outbreaks,” Ben Hwang, the chairman and CEO of Profusa, said in the company’s statement.

Profusa is conducting the study in a partnership with non-profit research institute RTI International, Duke University, and Imperial College London. It’s also funded by a DARPA research award and hopes to release the results in early 2021. Along with monitoring oxygen levels with the Lumee system, it could also use heart rate levels or other markers to contribute to building the algorithm.

The injectable sensor isn’t as scary from a privacy standpoint as it might sound. Without the part that adheres to the skin, it doesn’t do anything at all — let alone transmit data about you. Reporting from Nextgov gives a better idea of how it works: 

The sensor has two parts. One is a 3mm string of hydrogel, a material whose network of polymer chains is used in some contact lenses and other implants. Inserted under the skin with a syringe, the string includes a specially engineered molecule that changes color when the body begins to fight an infection. The other part is an electronic component attached to the skin. It sends light through the skin, detects if the color change occurs, and generates a signal that the wearer can send to a doctor, website, etc. 

That means the sensor itself is not something that could transmit data like location or even medical information. So visions of an injectable sensor funded by the military to monitor us at all times are not exactly accurate. Phew.