Division of Plastic Surgery Assistant Professor Daniel Cho, MD, PhD, specializes in the treatment of infants and children with birth defects that affect the head and skull. One such defect, craniosynostosis, is a serious condition in infants that is caused by one or more bones of the skull fusing too early, which can lead to abnormal skull development and restrict the growing brain.
“Surgery corrects skull shape and creates room for the brain to grow, but we follow patients closely to make sure pressure doesn’t build back up around the brain as a child develops and grows,” explained Cho. “We currently monitor patients with craniosynostosis using dilated eye exams and direct measurements of pressure inside the skull, but the eye exams are not very reliable and current brain pressure measurements are highly invasive surgical procedures. Both of these methods are ineffective for routine, long-term patient management.”
These limitations led Cho’s research lab to develop CranioCheck, a tiny brain pressure monitor that can be implanted in the brain during the initial skull reconstruction surgery. With a new 12-month Draper Technology Innovation Fund (TIF) award, Cho will partner with Dr. Aaron Dingle, a Senior Scientist in the Division of Plastic Surgery and co-Director of the Microsurgery and Regenerative Medicine Lab, and Dr. Jasmine Craig, a Plastic Surgery resident who will spend a year in the lab to test the use of CranioCheck in a rabbit model. The Draper TIF is administered in partnership between UW’s Discovery to Product (D2P) and the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation (WARF), the UW’s designated patenting and licensing organization. The fund provides resources for campus innovators who are developing technologies that are commercially promising and provide innovative solutions for the public good.
“We’ve successfully tested CranioCheck outside of living organisms under highly controlled conditions in the lab, so we’re now ready to start testing the device in living organisms to assess its safety, efficacy, and biocompatibility,” said Cho. “Achieving these aims could revolutionize long-term brain pressure monitoring, not only for craniosynostosis but also for conditions like hydrocephalus and traumatic brain injuries. I’m incredibly thankful for D2P and WARF’s support as we continue to develop, refine, and explore the potential of this technology.”