The Promise of a New Standard of Care The potential impact of this technology is profound. By providing accurate, real-time insights into fetal health, ACE monitoring could transform the standard of care in labor and delivery rooms across the world. “Our research promises to reduce the rate of medically unnecessary interventions, such as emergency Cesarean sections, which are expensive and tend to have inferior maternal and neonatal health outcomes,” Ghiasi said. In addition to improving childbirth outcomes, this technology may assist in obtaining critical insights into human development, placental function and the causes of preterm labor.
THIS SUPPORT HAS BEEN INSTRUMENTAL IN ADVANCING OUR TECHNOLOGY FROM CONCEPT TO PATIENT CARE. IT HAS SIGNIFICANTLY DE- RISKED THE TECHNOLOGY AND PROVIDED A CLEARER ROADMAP FOR
From Lab to Real-World Impact Thanks to funding from the UC Noyce Initiative, Ghiasi and his collaborator, Professor Herman Loscin Hedriana, a maternal- fetal medicine expert at UC Davis School of Medicine, were able to demonstrate the viability of their approach in a clinical setting. “This support has been instrumental in advancing our technology from concept to patient care. It has significantly de-risked the technology and provided a clearer roadmap for stakeholders and potential partners,” Ghiasi emphasized. The success of this research has attracted additional funding, including grants from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the National Science Foundation (NSF), totaling more than $4 million. Additionally, Ghiasi has co-founded Storx Technologies, a UC Davis spin-off company dedicated to commercializing the transabdominal fetal oximetry (TFO) technology. Ghiasi and Hedriana’s team has grown to include seven Ph.D. engineering students and two maternal-fetal medicine fellows. Their collaborative work has led to multiple peer-reviewed publications, four issued patents and three pending patent applications (one of which was filed during the UCNI project period), reinforcing the scientific community’s recognition of their breakthrough.
STAKEHOLDERS AND POTENTIAL PARTNERS.
Image courtesy of Soheil Ghiasi
A Future Without Unnecessary C-Sections For Ghiasi, the driving force behind his work is deeply personal. He still remembers the anxiety of that hospital room, the uncertainty of his daughter’s birth, and his wife’s long recover. His goal is simple yet ambitious: to give every expectant mother access to precise, reliable fetal monitoring, so that critical decisions during labor are made with confidence and clarity. “With this technology, we are not just improving patient care,” said Ghiasi, whose daughter is now nine years old, “we are redefining what’s possible in maternal-fetal medicine.” ◆
22 Impact Report 2023 - 24 | UC NI
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