A Fully Wireless, Miniaturized, Multicolor Fluorescence Image Sensor Implant for Real-Time Monitoring in Cancer Therapy

Implantable sensors capable of real-time monitoring of complex cellular dynamics can provide critical information for understanding disease progression and treatment response, leading to more personalized medicine. An impactful application is in cancer immunotherapy which produces durable responses but suffers from low response rates (<50%). Multicolor fluorescence microscopy is a critical tool for the study of multi-cell type dynamics but limited optical penetration depth (<5 mm for 400-900nm) and bulky optics constrain its use in vivo. Therefore, wireless, miniaturized, chip-based, fluorescence imagers with in-package light sources, and multicolor (multi-cell type) sensing are needed for real-time monitoring within the body. Prior work has demonstrated miniaturized chip-based fluorescence imagers, but relies on wired power and communication [1], [2] or batteries [3] and lacks wireless charging capabilities, precluding untethered chronic implantation. Moreover, multi-bandpass filters for multicolor (multicellular) imaging were not shown with these systems.