Sickle Cell Disease (SCD) patients do not have a device to monitor the status of their blood flow, and there is no current method to be alerted when the crisis is coming to be better prepared for it and take necessary precautions.
That's where we step in.
Our Mission
Achieve earlier detection of sickle cell crises to reduce the pain & suffering of SCD patients.
(pitch video below) -
projectZero Pitch Presentation - BE 440 - Aime Mafuta, Tej I Sutariya.mp4
SICKLE CELL ANEMIA
Sickle cell disease (SCD) is an inherited red blood cell disorder that causes the shape of the red blood cell to turn into a half-moon (sickle) shape. The sickled blood cells die early and are more likely to clot up the blood vessels that carry oxygen and blood to every part of the body, resulting to a severe pain (crisis). Crises can begin suddenly and last several hours to several days. These pains can be felt in many different parts of the body including back, knees, arms, stomach and chest.
There is no streamlined method of treatment for affected sickle cell patients to cope with and treat their crisis. Therefore, SCD patients experience multiple long hospital stays throughout their lives, where they are given painkillers, vitamins, and blood transfusions. These frequent, long hospital visits limits the hospital's rooms availability and can be mentally draining for the SCD patients. Also, since the pains that they experience are internal, where the "C" shaped blood cells constantly stabs the blood vessels as they try to flow through it, urgent care and emergency rooms typically disregard their pain and prioritize patients with physical pains that can easily be seen.
SCD patients need a device to monitor the status of their blood flow and be alerted when the crisis is coming so they can be better prepare for it and take necessary precautions.
GLOBAL IMPACT
Our research has shown that about 12 to 15 million people have sickle cell in Africa. In fact, 1 out of 365 African births have sickle cell disease. CDC (December 16, 2020). Approximately 3 percent of births in parts of the African continent are affected by this disease. Also, there is about 70,000 to 100,000 sickle cell disease patients in America. World wide, there are 20 to 25 million people who have sickle cell anemia.
Sickle cell disease is a very serious worldwide problem that affects millions of people. Unfortunately, 50 to 90 percent of patients born with SCD will die before their 5th birthday (Sickle Cell Disease Coalitiion. 2021) and the average life expectancy of sickle cell patients in Africa is less than 20 years (The New Humanitarian, 2010).
BIOSENSOR FOR SICKLE CELL ANEMIA
ProjectZero is a biosensor device that will detect sickle cell crisis before it becomes severe. This device will monitor the status of blood flow, detect the shape of the blood cells and keep count of the blood cells that are being critically affected by sickle cell disease. ProjectZero effectively combats the struggles that SCD patients face throughout their lives by making their lives less painful through early detection of the crisis and continuous monitoring.
This portable biosensor will be powered with a battery and will only require a few minutes to be fully charged. Some of the features in our biosensor device includes bluetooth capabilities to send reports to the patient's cell phone, and alerting the emergency medical services (EMS) when the crisis is detected or has exceeded a tolerable threshold. Our device will be designed to be worn at places where the pain originates or the area of the body where the patient experiences the most pain like the legs, knees, back, and chest. Also, our device is designed in a way to not interfere with the user's daily activities, so it can be wrapped around limbs or the body and will have different appearances to match with the user's skin color and other preferences for the look of the device.
projectZero utilizes technologies that feature scientific methods such as Edge Detection Segmentation and blood pressure. Edge Detection Segmentation is used to calculate the average eccentricity of blood cells in regions of the body to detect a crisis. The computer in the projectZero device mainly runs this Edge Detection Segmentation off of blood cell imaging via a computer vision software. It uses mathematical principles such as Second-Order Derivatives to detect the curvature (or absence of perfect curvature) of blood cells. Upon exceeding an eccentricity of 0.5 for a cluster of blood cells, emergency medical services (EMS) are notified and the patient’s location is shared with them to transport them to the nearest hospital.
Blood pressure is also a more obvious and widely practiced procedure one would see at their check-up or physical at a doctor’s visit. The combination of these two methods ensures the accuracy of the likelihood of a crisis before it begins.
COMPETITION
We do not have any direct competitors as our product is the first of its kind that can detect SCD crises and notify emergency services immediately. However, please see the table below to understand other presence in the market. The table below lists current methods and devices, and analyses their effectiveness in the detection and monitoring of SCD.
Expertise
Tej Sutariya has experience in technology and supply chain/entrepreneurship/innovations. He will earn a bachelor's degree in Businnes at Michigan State University. He has conducted research on sickle cell diseases and the current treatments of SCD.
Aime Mafuta will have a Bachelor of Science in electrical engineering with a concentration in Biomedical from Michigan State University. He has shown a great interest in the SCD topic. He is a sickle cell carrier and has always been intrigued and eager to find ways to help ease the pain that his sister goes through as she has sickle cell anemia.
As owners of projectZero, we are confident that we have the ability to effectively design, manufacture, and market a product that appeals directly to our affected SCD patients.
Industry Connections
Key Advisors: Dr. Evangelyn C. Alocilja is a well-respected professor in the Department of Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering at Michigan State University. She is a director of the Nano-Biosensors Lab and has several biosensor patents. Also, she is a member of the US National Academy of Inventors, and the founder of the Global Alliance for Rapid Diagnostics, a consortium of scientists around the world committed to improving global health.
YEAR 1
At the founding of ProjectZero in January 2022, we expect to begin producing our device at a lower rate in order to penetrate the market as early as possible, while still allowing time to receive feedback from our users and apply changes to the end product. We expect to ramp up production and sales from January to August 2022, and reach our monthly production capacity in August 2022, where we will consistently output 10,000 devices per month until the end of 2022.
YEAR 2 AND 3
In 2023 and 2024, we expect to maximize production at 100,000 units per month.
Questions?
Contact hello@projectzero.io to get more information on the project