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Closed-Loop Triaxial Optically Pumped Magnetometers for High-Sensitivity and High-Bandwidth Magnetoencephalography Measurements of the Developing Brain

Award Number: U01EB035534
ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL INSTITUTE Of BIOMEDICAL IMAGING & BIOENGINEERING
OPDIV: NIH
AWARD CLASS: COOPERATIVE AGREEMENT
AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: SCIENTIFIC/HEALTH RESEARCH (INCLUDES SURVEYS)
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 09/01/2024
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 08/31/2029

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Closed-Loop Triaxial Optically Pumped Magnetometers for High-Sensitivity and High-Bandwidth Magnetoencephalography Measurements of the Developing Brain - PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT Non-invasive detection of gamma oscillations in infants will inform a broad range of studies examining neuro- developmental and neurodegenerative disorders. As the highest frequency of the named neural oscillations, they are also lowest in magnitude, making them difficult to detect. In the proposed work, the gamma oscilla- tions of infants (6-months) will be measured using a non-invasive functional neuroimaging device with high spatiotemporal resolution (~1 mm/10 ms) suitable for infants. These specifications suggest magnetoenceph- alography (MEG) as the modality and optically pumped magnetometers (OPM) as the magnetic sensor of choice. OPM-MEG systems allow individual positional adjustment of each sensor, maximizing detected signal power. Current state-of-the-art OPMs do not have sufficient sensitivity and bandwidth to recover gamma oscil- lations with high fidelity. In collaboration with our industry partner, QuSpin, Inc., we will develop a pulsed OPM with a sensitivity of 2 fT/rt-Hz and a bandwidth of 220 Hz, making it capable of measuring the high frequency gamma oscillations near the surface of the subject’s scalp. The proposed sensor measures three orthogonal vector components of the magnetic field using the same sensing volume, a unique feature that is essential for the effectiveness of interference rejection algorithms. Furthermore, the triaxial mode allows for triaxial closed- loop operation, an integral feature for suppressing systematic error sources in OPMs. The overall objective of this project is to develop an OPM-MEG system with unprecedented sensitivity, bandwidth, and accuracy. Fur- thermore, the MEG system will be validated in a study of gamma oscillations and brain synchronicity in infants with a comparison between our hybrid OPM array and a commercial SQUID system. Aim 1 will deliver the core component of the proposed MEG system: a novel pulsed-OPM sensor. The proposed sensor features 1) ex- ceptional gradiometrically inferred sensitivity (2 ft/rt-Hz), 2) wide bandwidth (220 Hz), and 3) triaxial signal de- tection using a single sensing volume, and 4) closed-loop operation on all three axes. Aim 2 will deliver a hy- brid OPM-MEG system by incorporating 10 of our triaxial pulsed-OPM gradiometers (two triaxial OPMs sepa- rated by 20 mm) and 20 triaxial commercial OPMs into a hybrid MEG sensor array installed in a magnetically shielded room. Supporting tasks include control electronics, laser system, and novel signal processing algo- rithms development for noise rejection using the full magnetic field vector. Aim 3: the robustness and effective- ness of the pulsed OPM-MEG will be put to test by employing it to study gamma oscillations in 30 infants through visual, auditory, and resting-state testing paradigms. The unique features of the proposed MEG sys- tem stem from its novel pulsed sensor, which will provide the most sensitive OPM for non-invasive measure- ment of brain’s magnetic field. Through the industry partnership, we will design for manufacturability to deliver a prototype that is near product ready and has been validated against a commercial SQUID MEG system while future research will seek further sensor miniaturization and improved sensitivity.


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 = $0 )
2026	2025	NATIONAL TECHNOLOGY & ENGINEERING SOLUTIONS OF SANDIA, LLC	1515 EUBANK BLVD SE	ALBUQUERQUE	NM	87123	BERNALILLO	USA	Discovery and Applied Research for Technological Innovations to Improve Human Health	000	2	1/7/2026	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$0
														Subtotal = $0

Issue Date FY: 2025 ( Subtotal = $721,188 )
2025	2025	NATIONAL TECHNOLOGY & ENGINEERING SOLUTIONS OF SANDIA, LLC	1515 EUBANK BLVD SE	ALBUQUERQUE	NM	87123	BERNALILLO	USA	Discovery and Applied Research for Technological Innovations to Improve Human Health	000	2	8/4/2025	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$721,188
														Subtotal = $721,188

Issue Date FY: 2024 ( Subtotal = $729,286 )
2024	2024	NATIONAL TECHNOLOGY & ENGINEERING SOLUTIONS OF SANDIA, LLC	1515 EUBANK BLVD SE	ALBUQUERQUE	NM	87123	BERNALILLO	USA	Discovery and Applied Research for Technological Innovations to Improve Human Health	000	1	8/2/2024	NEW	$729,286
2024	2024	NATIONAL TECHNOLOGY & ENGINEERING SOLUTIONS OF SANDIA, LLC	1515 EUBANK BLVD SE	ALBUQUERQUE	NM	87123	BERNALILLO	USA	Discovery and Applied Research for Technological Innovations to Improve Human Health	001	1	9/4/2024	NEW	$0
														Subtotal = $729,286

Grand Total All Awards = $1,450,474

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Closed-Loop Triaxial Optically Pumped Magnetometers for High-Sensitivity and High-Bandwidth Magnetoencephalography Measurements of the Developing Brain

Award Number: U01EB035534

ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL INSTITUTE Of BIOMEDICAL IMAGING & BIOENGINEERING

OPDIV: NIH

AWARD CLASS: COOPERATIVE AGREEMENT

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

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 09/01/2024

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 08/31/2029

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