Investigators are developing a sensor system that will measure blood and tissue chemistry with no need for blood draws or incisions.

The Smart Medical Systems and Technology Team's principal goal is to develop medical care systems that would diagnose and treat major risk, illness and trauma, as well as to provide sensors and data systems for in-flight monitoring and early detection of medical problems during flight and on planetary surfaces. A secondary goal is to provide novel training tools and modalities for crews to address medical issues when contact with Earth is limited or delayed.

Anticipated deliverables include:

• Just-in-time training of International Space Station personnel to perform complex ultrasound diagnostic testing;
• An ultrasonic-based, acoustic densitometer for real-time assessment of bone quality and density, and an image-guided therapeutic system for assessing fracture risk and accelerating healing;
• An onboard catalog of laparoscopic and ultrasound images of internal organs under microgravity conditions;
• An image-guided therapy system with capability to treat a variety of conditions, such as uncontrolled internal bleeding and kidney-stone-induced obstruction;
• A simple, noninvasive method of monitoring intracranial pressure while in space;
• A lab-on-a chip system for in-flight measurement of blood samples to determine the number of white blood cells and the percentage of each type of white blood cell; and
• A noninvasive sensor system to measure muscle metabolic parameters to diagnose trauma, assess astronaut fitness and provide real-time metabolic rate monitoring during lunar surface exploration.

• Training techniques employed for crew medical officers have relevance for extreme medical situations on Earth, such as military medics and civilian first responders;
• Acoustic bone densitometry will allow physicians to monitor osteoporosis patients with highly detailed images and ultrasonic treatment that will help accelerate fracture healing;
• Lab-on-a-chip devices will have wide application in clinical medicine; and
• Technologies developed for trauma diagnosis and response, such as the noninvasive metabolic monitor and high-intensity, focused ultrasound, have use for battlefield medical care and in ambulances and hospital emergency rooms.