NIH grant: Mechanomyography-based system for quantitative nerve assessment during standard pain management procedures (1R43GM162022-01A1)

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NIH grant 1R43GM162022-01A1: Mechanomyography-based system for quantitative nerve assessment during standard pain management procedures
Institute: {'code': 'GM', 'abbreviation': 'NIGMS', 'name': 'National Institute of General Medical Sciences', 'admin_org_id': '12500024', 'admin_funding_url': ''}. PI: Chris  Wybo. Award: $353059.
Start: 2026-08-07T00:00:00.
Project Summary
Our ultimate objective is to develop a mechanomyography (MMG) based diagnostic system (MMG-DS) achieving
quantitative assessment of nerve compression status during standard preoperative pain management
procedures. Just as cardiac stress testing revolutionized coronary artery evaluation by adding functional data to
anatomical findings, MMG-DS will transform routine therapeutic nerve blocks into a quantitative diagnostic by
providing objective measurements of nerve function. MMG-DS feasibility will be demonstrated by establishing
measurement consistency and reliability across users and anatomical regions in a porcine model.
Prevalence of radiculopathy is ~10% for US adults. While physical therapy and medication (such as opioids) can
provide relief, often a preoperative pain management procedure is required to provide temporary relief and guide
a future decompression surgery. Also, imaging can reveal multiple compressed nerve roots and physicians then
face significant diagnostic uncertainty in determining which specific nerves require surgical intervention.
Therefore, current diagnostic capabilities are limited by their qualitative nature, which in part contributes to
suboptimal symptom resolution in up to ~35% of patients following decompression surgery.
MMG-DS will achieve a quantitative diagnostic by building on validated MMG technology that reliably detects
nerve responses. MMG-DS will enable objective measurements during preoperative pain management
procedures that patients are already undergoing. Therefore, MMG-DS creates an unprecedented opportunity for
evidence-based surgical planning without disrupting established clinical workflows. MMG-DS will achieve
superior functional and quantitative nerve assessment because MMG measures the muscle’s mechanical
response post nerve stimulus. This is in sharp contrast to EMG, which measures the electrical response of the
muscle. Therefore, limitations of EMG—electrical signal related noise and variability—are not present in MMG.
In clinical application, MMG-DS will identify functionally compromised nerves most likely contributing to pain,
enable quantitative and real-time functional assessment of nerve health, provide real-time assessment of nerve
block treatment effectiveness, and enable surgeons to efficiently target unhealthy nerve(s) during decompression
surgery, while avoiding unnecessary surgery on healthy nerves. The feasibility of MMG-DS will be demonstrated
by prototyping the MMG-DS stimulation probe compatible with existing interventional pain management needles
and evaluate performance on the bench top (Aim 1), developing the MMG-DS data processing algorithm relating
stimulation probe current levels to the MMG response (Aim 2), and determining the variability and repeatability
of MMG-DS derived parameters to quantitatively assess nerve function in the porcine model (Aim 3). After
completion of this SBIR Phase I project, Phase II will complete all testing required for 510(k) clearance.

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