BabyLux aims to provide an innovative biophotonic solution for the monitoring of cerebral oxygen metabolism and blood flow in preterm neonates by means of non-invasive optical techniques. The prototype developed in BabyLux project combines time resolved near-infrared spectroscopy (TRS) with newly developed diffuse correlation spectroscopy (DCS) in a single device. Both techniques rely on the use of an optical fibre probe to illuminate the scalp of the baby with very low power near infrared light and to collect and measure the diffusively reemitted optical signal propagated through the scalp and skull, thus getting information at a deeper level of the cortical region.
A specific work on design and construction of a common fibre optics probe for DCS and TRS is needed to properly combine the two photonic technologies:
- focusing on TRS to obtain the highest information content for absolute value measurements and the potential to separate intra- and extra-cerebral contributions
- using DCS to noninvasively monitor microvascular blood flow
- combining TRS with DCS to introduce two new parameters, namely the cerebral blood flow (CBF) and cerebral metabolic rate of oxygen extraction (CMRO2), and enable a better understanding of the physiological status of the brain in a complete, accurate, and robust way.
BabyLux project uses the photonic technologies developed at the Politecnico di Milano and ICFO-Institute of Photonic Sciences of Barcelona.