Winning many accolades, for the invention of a non-invasive technique of detecting silent heart attacks, 15-year-old Akash Manoj, promises to bring affordable and accessible healthcare in India
Do you think that non-invasive methods of monitoring can be effective in early detection and prevention of silent heart attacks, which will save or even avert hospitalisation cost?
Well, 15-year-old Akash Manoj a student in Tamil Nadu believes that non-invasive method has the potential to do so. Manoj has discovered a method of analysing a specific protein- FABP3 in the blood that can determine if a patient is at risk. He has invented a sensor, which could predict silent heart attacks. The portable and wearable sensor could effectively detect a heart attack several hours prior to an unlikely event. It is said that the sensor is close to 100 per cent accurate and it can detect the silent heart attack, in the earliest stages. The sensor consists of a sensor made up of silicone membrane that represents the skin capillaries, it looks like a skin patch which should be attached to the wrist or the back of the ear. It releases a small ‘positive’ electrical impulse, which will attract the negatively charged protein released by the heart to signal a heart attack. If the quantity of this protein – FABP3 — is high, the person must seek immediate medical attention.
Talking about his interest in science, Manoj informed that he had keen interest in reading medical journals but the idea to predict heart attacks came three years back, when his grandfather died due to a silent heart attack (asymptomatic).
“The incident was an impetus for me to find a solution to this problem. My interest in reading medical journals now had a focus. I started to read and get an in-depth understanding of cardiology and current technology. I did research on what is silent heart attack in the Internet. I was surprised to know that over 85 per cent of all heart attacks go unnoticed just because they cannot be diagnosed due to lack of absolute symptoms. Less than 2 per cent is the chance of survival. So, immediately the question that popped up is how can I make progress in diagnosing them.”
The eureka moment
Learning that, there should be a way out, Manoj informed that he started to work on his innovation. He said, “I set up a scientific criteria that I should come up with a sensor, which would effectively detect a heart attack several hours prior to an unlikely event. My main objective was to come up with an inexpensive, rapid, simple, sensitive, selective, non-invasive and most importantly portable and wearable sensor.”
Explaining about how he derived to invent the sensor, Manoj said, “The framework to my invention was on the significant changes the organ (heart) undergoes before a total heart failure which eventually results in massive cardiac arrest. The heart keeps sending out SOS impulses before failing. I was wondering what those signals could be and how to detect it. The signal with which heart is reaching out is called a cardiac biomaker or a protein. While doing further research, I got to know that there are 8000 different proteins that are found before heart attacks. So I started to go through each of these proteins one by one, to see which one could serve as an optimal biomaker for a non-invasive detection of these asymptomatic heart attacks. After innumerable trial, I detected FABP3 protein.”
He further explained, “On the onset of cardiac ischemia (a sudden, severe blockage of a coronary artery which can lead to a heart attack), the levels of protein keeps increasing absymally. So, I started to detect FABP3, a protein which is found at level close at 50ng/ml in a normal human being and its differentiation.”
How does the sensor work?
- It is a method were a unique spectroscopic technique is integrated with mathematical modelling; non-invasive method detects the protein levels immediately without taking a blood test
- The sensor detects FABP3 proteins levels, as a sensor band and it can be worn around wrist or back of one’s ear and works 24/7
- The patch uses a positively charged electrical impulse to draw negatively charged protein to the surface, if the amount of FABP3 is high, then the person would need immediate medical attention
- Anyone at risk of cardiac issues can use the device twice a day morning and at night
- The product will cost around Rs 900, which will be cheaper than a glucometer
- It is a low-cost, rapid, simple, sensitive, selective, portable and wearable sensor
However, the research was not a cake walk for the young lad, as he had no laboratory access. The 11-year-old (then) mailed hundreds of professors, seeking mentorship but no one entertained a 8th class student. Finally, Manoj request was heard and he started to proceed with his research.
“Although I had detected how to go about my research, to make the small-patch type-sensor-band it took me two long years to complete the non-invasive self detection of asymptomatic acute myocardial infarction using BioElectrics: A translational investigation of transcutaneous blood analysis.”
On the anvil
Manoj informed that the sensor would cost around Rs 900, which is cheaper than a glucometer. He intends to launch this product by next year. “I have already filed a patent. The device is likely to surface out for use to the public by the end of 2018. I would want the Government of India to take the project instead of selling it to a private company because it is for the public good and I want my device to reach people even from the remote locations of India,” he said. Further, Manoj aims to pursue clinical research medicine and study preventive cardiology at the country’s premier All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Delhi. Manoj informs that his intent is to bring affordable healthcare to India.