# Development of tissue oxygenation indices for acute wounds and diabetic foot ulcers using near-infrared imaging approach

> **NIH NIH F31** · FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY · 2021 · $36,597

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
Approximately 30.3 million individuals are diagnosed with Diabetes Mellitus (DM) in the United States, with
approximately 25% of this population expected to develop a Diabetic Foot ulcer (DFU) at some point during
their life. A major impasse in improving the wound management process is the lack of a validated tissue
oxygenation parameter to assess healing. Despite efforts, the current gold-standard approach in DFU
assessment remains visual inspection using a 50% reduction in wound size across 4 weeks to denote healing.
The objective of this 2-year F31 fellowship is to develop and validate a static and dynamic wound healing index
for acute (non-diabetic) and DFU wounds using two-dimensional tissue oxygenation and dynamic correlation
maps from a non-contact, wide field near infrared optical scanner (NIROS) for near real-time assessment of
DFUs. Validation and calibration of oxygenation-based parameter(s) from in-vivo studies on controls using
NIROS will be conducted. Utilizing the calibrated NIROS, tissue oxygenation (TO)-based indices will be
developed to predict wound healing potential and oxygenation flow adequacy. Oxygenation measurements will
be correlated to visual signs of healing, and thresholds will be developed to indicate the healing status in acute
wounds. Once established, DFU healing indices will be developed using the same methodology, and
employing the acute wound indices as a baseline. The development of DFU healing indices, in turn, could
serve as a valuable tool for clinicians to assess the state of the wound and better cater/modify the treatment
plan as needed.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10266053
- **Project number:** 5F31DK125153-02
- **Recipient organization:** FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Kevin Leiva
- **Activity code:** F31 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $36,597
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2020-08-27 → 2022-08-26

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10266053

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10266053, Development of tissue oxygenation indices for acute wounds and diabetic foot ulcers using near-infrared imaging approach (5F31DK125153-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10266053. Licensed CC0.

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