Official websites use .gov

A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.

Secure .gov websites use HTTPS

A lock ( 🔒 ) or https:// means you've safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Need Help

High-Resolution 3D Electrical Impedance Mapping of Metabolically Active Plaques Using Multilayered Stretchable Liquid Metal Electronics

Award Number: R21EB039401
ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL INSTITUTE Of BIOMEDICAL IMAGING & BIOENGINEERING
OPDIV: NIH
AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY
AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: SCIENTIFIC/HEALTH RESEARCH (INCLUDES SURVEYS)
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 07/01/2026
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 03/31/2029

Group Awards By:

View Award Description

High-Resolution 3D Electrical Impedance Mapping of Metabolically Active Plaques Using Multilayered Stretchable Liquid Metal Electronics - Project Summary/Abstract Rupture-prone atherosclerotic plaques, which are rich in oxidized low-density lipoprotein (oxLDL), are the leading cause of myocardial infarction and stroke. Current imaging tools such as intravascular ultrasound and optical coherence tomography provide structural information but cannot assess the metabolic state of plaques. Electrical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) offers a label-free method to differentiate tissue composition based on frequency-dependent impedance. When extended to multiple electrodes and processed using inverse modeling, EIS data can be used to generate three-dimensional electrical impedance tomography (EIT) maps. Despite its promise, clinical translation of intravascular EIS has been limited by low spatial resolution, poor conformity to arterial walls, and the absence of contact feedback during deployment. This project proposes a novel balloon-deployable platform that integrates ultrathin, highly stretchable microelectrodes made from liquid metal particles (LMPs) with embedded pressure sensors. We will develop a new fabrication process to achieve LMP microelectrodes with 10 μm resolution, enabling over 150 electrodes on a millimeter-scale catheter and more than 15,000 impedance measurement permutations, which far exceeds the capacity of existing systems. The intrinsic softness and stretchability of LMP-based electronics allow intimate conformal contact with the curved, dynamic geometry of arterial walls, enabling more stable and reliable tissue engagement than rigid devices. Additionally, embedded strain-insensitive capacitive pressure sensors beneath each electrode will monitor local contact pressure in real time. This feedback will guide safe deployment, help avoid vascular injury, and exclude poorly contacted electrodes from EIT reconstruction, thereby improving mapping fidelity. In Aim 1, we will fabricate and characterize the multilayered LMP-based electrode–sensor arrays. In Aim 2, we will validate the system in vascular phantoms, explanted human arteries, and a swine model of carotid atherosclerosis. A hybrid inverse modeling framework will be used for 3D conductivity mapping. This work will establish a new class of high-resolution, pressure-aware EIS catheters with the potential to transform intravascular diagnostics by enabling early detection of rupture-prone plaques.


Issue Date FY	Funding FY	Legal Entity Name	Legal Entity Address	Legal Entity City	Legal Entity State	Legal Entity Zip Code	Legal Entity COUNTY	Legal Entity COUNTRY	Assistance Listing	Award Code	Budget Year	Action Date	Action Type	Action Amount

Issue Date FY: 2026 ( Subtotal = $291,496 )
2026	2026	UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA	3720 S FLOWER ST FL 3	LOS ANGELES	CA	90089	LOS ANGELES	USA	Discovery and Applied Research for Technological Innovations to Improve Human Health	000	1	6/16/2026	NEW	$291,496
														Subtotal = $291,496

Grand Total All Awards = $291,496

Top

All Categories

About

Search

Reports

Data Submission

Award Information

High-Resolution 3D Electrical Impedance Mapping of Metabolically Active Plaques Using Multilayered Stretchable Liquid Metal Electronics

Award Number: R21EB039401

ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL INSTITUTE Of BIOMEDICAL IMAGING & BIOENGINEERING

OPDIV: NIH

AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY

AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: SCIENTIFIC/HEALTH RESEARCH (INCLUDES SURVEYS)

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 07/01/2026

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 03/31/2029

Federal Websites

Department of Health & Human Services

HHS Operating Divisions

HHS Staff Divisions

Download A Document Viewer