DiaKat+

In the DiaKat+ project, a novel diagnostic system for personalised medicine (precision medicine) is to be developed and tested through the targeted and local functionaliz´sation of highly elastic balloon catheters by means of the morphological variability of ultra-thin (< 100 nm) metal layers, as well as the interpretation of the data obtained with the sensor catheter to be developed through accompanying modeling of the sensor-tissue interaction.

A key feature of this approach is that the stress on the vessel for diagnostic purposes corresponds to the type of stress that is applied in the subsequent therapy step, albeit to a much lesser extent. The vessel properties are to be determined from the expansion of the sensor balloon catheter in contact with the vessel walls and suitable models. The main objectives include the development of miniaturised, highly flexible sensor-balloon catheter demonstrators for the quantitative determination of the elasticity of the stenosis area, the understanding and clinical interpretation of data from the sensor catheter in the context of vascular pathologies of different degrees of stenosis, types of stenosis and expansion, and the preparation of clinical decision support (evaluation of stent deployment) on the basis of interpreted sensor data and modelling of the stenosis area. The sensor-balloon catheter system to be developed, together with the predictive models, will be subjected to a risk assessment with regard to its use. This is done in close cooperation with the corporate partner.