"We know that ultraviolet light and, in some cases visible light, can cause flares of symptoms—both on their skin, as well as internally—but we don't always know what combinations of light wavelengths are contributing to the symptoms," he continued.is an autoimmune rheumatic disease that affects many organs in the body. It is characterized by a red rash in the form of a butterfly on the face., about 1.
Lupus patients frequently have light sensitivity, with 40 to 70 percent of them reporting that exposure to natural or artificial light indoors worsens their condition. Lupus sufferers may experience rashes, exhaustion, and joint discomfort during these flare-ups.According to the release, Pearson had learnt about the customized 3D-printing of wearable devices developed by University of Minnesota mechanical engineering professor Michael McAlpine and his team.
“This research builds upon our previous work where we developed a fully 3D printed light-emitting device, but this time instead of emitting light, it is receiving light,” said McAlpine, a co-author of the study and Kuhrmeyer Family Chair Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering. “The light is converted to electrical signals to measure it, which in the future can then be correlated with the patient’s symptoms flare ups.
The research team has received approval to start using humans as test subjects for the device, and will shortly start enrolling individuals for the study. “We know these devices work in the lab, but our next step is really to put them into the hands of patients to see how they work in real life,” Pearson said. “We can give them to participants and track what light they were exposed to and determine how we can predict symptoms. We will also continue testing in the lab to improve the device.”right in my office. I could see a patient and assess what light wavelengths we want to evaluate," he added.