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Neurology and Neurosurgery

HEPIUS Innovation Lab

Fluid Dynamics and Optical Engineering: ACMI Implant

The acute CSF management implant (ACMI) is an intrathecal catheter that drains cerebrospinal fluid from the lumbar region of the spinal cord. It is currently under development as part of a $13.48 million Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) grant.

What will the device do?

Although CSF drainage is common practice in treating a variety of pathologies, the ACMI implant is capable of draining CSF while simultaneously sensing and reporting intrathecal pressure, oxygenation, lactate levels, temperature and other biomarkers. This makes the ACMI the first of its kind.

Together with the MUSIC device, the ACMI will feed into a machine-learning algorithm that can directly monitor and optimize blood flow and biomarkers after severe spinal cord injury.

Diagram of a drainage catheter in the spine.

How will the device work?

Drainage and Data Gathering

The ACMI device will be lined with fiber optic sensors that can read intrathecal pressure, oxygenation, lactate levels and temperature. As fluid drains from the catheter, it will pass through these sensors, gathering real-time information about how the injury is healing. Based on these data, the device can adjust the level of CSF drained from the injury site. 

Spectrophotometer Sensors

The fiber optic sensors will use spectrophotometry, which emits light and compares how much of that light is then reflected back. This method provides the level of precision and sensitivity required for delicate readings of CSF. The spectrophotometric innovations of the HEPIUS initiative are co-led by our pioneering colleagues at The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (APL).