ChemBE Seminar Series: Martin Yarmush

Description

Martin Yarmush, chair and distinguished professor of Biomedical Engineering at Rutgers University, will give a talk titled "An Autonomous, Image-Guided, Robotic Vascular Access System" for the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering. Yarmush is also director of the Center for Engineering in Medicine at the Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School.

Note: This is a hybrid event. To attend virtually, use the Zoom ID 919 5918 2879 with passcode 270887.

Abstract:

Diagnostic blood testing is the most ubiquitous clinical procedure in the U.S., with over 1 billion tests performed annually. The traditional method of blood testing involves performing a manual phlebotomy or venipuncture, transporting samples to a centralized lab, analyzing the samples using large benchtop instruments, and relaying the results to the clinician. This is a labor-intensive process where unexpected delays and patient discomfort and injury often arise due to difficulties in performing vascular access. To address this limitation, our group has developed a portable, automated device that performs venipuncture and blood withdrawal, and can ultimately provide quantitative diagnostic results in 15 to 30 minutes at the point of patient care. Once translated into the clinical realm, this technology may have impact in number of arenas, including pediatric, geriatric, cancer, and emergency medicine, as well as military use.