Globally, neuromuscular disorders are the leading cause of illness and disability. In situ, real-time monitoring of muscle tissue structure and function is a crucial tool for the diagnosis and rehabilitation of neuromuscular diseases. However, traditional wearable monitoring systems struggle to achieve this goal. Conventional rigid ultrasound devices require external force to hold the probe against the skin. While this minimizes visceral imaging, it causes muscle deformation and struggles to adapt to the up to 40% deformation experienced during dynamic muscle movement, posing a challenge to assessing the cause and course of disease.
Recently, Researchers Liu Zhiyuan, Ma Teng, and Tian Qiong from the Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology (SIAT) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), along with Professor Yan Wei from Donghua University, have jointly developed a flexible patch for dual-modal structural and functional monitoring of the dynamic neuromuscular system, offering an innovative solution to this problem. Among them, Researcher Ma Teng focused on the research of flexible ultrasound patches and multifunctional imaging technology, and Researcher Liu Zhiyuan was committed to the research and development of interface materials and device structures of stretchable electrodes. The related results were published in "Science Advances" under the title "In situ structural-functional synchronous dissection of dynamic neuromuscular system via an integrated multimodal wearable patch".
Wearable Sensor Patch for Simultaneous Monitoring of Structural and Functional Information
The wearable structure developed in this research, the Functional Dual-Modal Sensing Patch (WSFP), integrates a flexible ultrasound imaging array with soft, stretchable electrodes and features an innovative deformable buffer layer. It not only enables high-fidelity imaging of muscle structure but also simultaneously captures dynamic muscle electrophysiological (EMG) signals, truly achieving dual-modal monitoring of physiological structure and function. It performs exceptionally well with up to 72 hours of wear and dynamic skin deformations of up to 37.5%.
Clinical Application: Assisted Diagnosis of Congenital Muscular Torticollis (CMT) in Children
Congenital muscular torticollis (CMT) in children is characterized by structural and functional changes in the sternocleidomastoid muscle (SCM) during development, which can have lasting and even lifelong negative effects on a child's posture, neck function, and quality of life. As the disease progresses, the affected muscle exhibits bending, blurred edges, fibrosis, and thickening during movement, and EMG topography reveals low and asymmetric muscle activation. Compared with traditional single-modal monitoring, WSFP bimodal data has a classification accuracy of over 90% in motion recognition and disease screening, verifying the effectiveness of synchronously acquiring bimodal signals for diagnosing and understanding the pathological mechanisms of CMT. It is expected to be used for early muscle fibrosis detection and open up new directions for the clinical diagnosis and rehabilitation of such diseases.
Expanding Applications: From Dual-Modality to Multi-Modality
WSFP has great potential in monitoring athlete muscle training and in dynamic structural imaging assessment of neurodegenerative diseases (such as ALS and post-stroke muscle dysfunction). Furthermore, the mechanomechanical effects of biomedical ultrasound have the potential to accelerate drug penetration, enable muscle stimulation, and enable non-invasive targeted drug delivery. Future integration of optical imaging, biomechanical signals, and other sensing technologies will provide clinicians with richer diagnostic information.
Cooperation and Future Prospects
The flexible ultrasound and electrophysiological sensing patch developed by the Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology (SIAT) has achieved dual-modal simultaneous acquisition of muscle structure and function. However, the electromyography and ultrasound equipment are currently independent and bulky. In the future, the institute plans to collaborate with multiple parties to promote the miniaturization and integration of equipment through hardware optimization and specialized chip development. The institute will also upgrade the patch to integrate multimodal energy functions to develop integrated diagnosis and treatment products, explore cutting-edge applications such as wearable ultrasound-controlled cell therapy, and advance this technology from the laboratory to the clinic, improving the efficiency and accuracy of diagnosis and treatment, and contributing to the advancement of medical technology.