Elevated ICP symptoms
Patients experience nausea, vomiting, headaches, seizures, altered mental status and visual disturbances; elevated ICP could be fatal.
Monitoring vital brain signs
Long-term brain pressure monitoring, beyond the ICU
SensoBrain is developing a minimally invasive, electronics-free microfluidic sensor that makes intracranial pressure (ICP) measurable after patients leave the hospital.
Why ICP matters
Real-time and continuous ICP monitoring is vital to diagnose serious brain conditions
Disease surveillance
ICP elevations signal progression of chronic conditions including hydrocephalus, headaches and brain cancers.
Early intervention
Reducing patient morbidity through long-term ambulatory sensing of ICP, enabling earlier interventions to normalize ICP.
What is SensoBrain?
A passive sensor at the intersection of digital health and precision medicine
SensoBrain is developing an electronics-free, battery-free implantable sensor that makes intracranial pressure measurable outside the intensive care unit — over the long term, without repeated invasive procedures.
Watch the 2-minute overviewOverview video (2023).
Clinical conditions
Where elevated ICP changes outcomes
Elevated ICP is associated with many serious neurological conditions affecting tens of millions of patients worldwide each year.
Initial focus
Hydrocephalus
Hydrocephalus is a condition in which there is an abnormal accumulation of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) within the ventricular system of the brain. The normal flow or absorption of CSF is disrupted, causing it to build up and increase pressure within the skull, which can damage the brain and surrounding tissues.
Brain tumors
Many brain tumors cause leaky blood vessels that permit excessive fluid to escape into the brain, causing edema. This can lead to headaches, seizures, nausea and vomiting, and reduced level of consciousness, and could also be fatal.
Future indications
Traumatic brain injury
There is a relationship between intracranial hypertension and mortality after severe traumatic brain injury (sTBI). This relationship becomes proportionally greater as ICP increases, with a six-fold increased risk of death when ICP is greater than 40 mm Hg.
Stroke & brain hemorrhage
ICP can be a complication of stroke, which occurs when the blood supply to the brain is disrupted, resulting in brain tissue damage. Elevated ICP can put pressure on brain tissue and cause additional damage, potentially leading to neurological deficits and other complications.
Idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH)
Idiopathic intracranial hypertension causes chronically elevated ICP, leading to severe headaches and risk of permanent vision loss. It primarily affects young women and requires ongoing monitoring.
Our technology
How it works
- 01
Placed during a surgery the patient is already having (shunt placement or tumor resection)
- 02
Read non-invasively through the scalp with an external optical reader, in clinic or at home
- 03
Readings securely uploaded and analyzed
- 04
Clinicians alerted to concerning pressure trends
- 05
Summary reports available for clinical review
Progress
Where we are today
- 01
Stanford Wu Tsai Neurosciences Institute translational grant
- 02
First prototypes implanted in rats — sensor signal read through skin and skull over two weeks
- 03
Core Stanford intellectual property exclusively licensed to SensoBrain
- 04
Built on a proven platform: the same electronics-free microfluidic pressure-sensing principle as Smartlens miLens, now in a U.S. pivotal trial for glaucoma
- 05
SensoBrain incorporated
- 06
HomeLabs Summer Cohort 2026
Value of SensoBrain
At the intersection of digital health, preventive healthcare and precision medicine
Medical
- Designed to identify patient-specific ICP patterns with AI and machine learning
- Better understanding of ICP and its relationship with daily activities and other medical conditions
Clinical practice
- Helps improve patient engagement
- Designed to reduce unnecessary emergency visits and imaging
Patients
- Earlier identification of disease progression
- Fewer hospital visits for pressure checks
- Monitoring that continues after discharge
Challenges in ICP monitoring
Today's monitoring stops at the ICU door
- Limited understanding of ICP dynamics and treatment response monitoring
- Interrogating brain ventricular shunts poses infection and other morbidity risks
- Patient morbidity
- Increased costs due to need for shunt revision surgeries
- ICP measurements limited to hospitalized patients in intensive care units
Current devices
- Invasive, wired probes
- Limited to hospital or ICU use
- Short approved dwell times (days to weeks)
- Signal drift over time
Illustration — not the actual device.
SensoBrain device
- Electronics-free and battery-free
- Designed for MRI compatibility
- Designed for long-term implantation
- Non-invasive readout
- Placed during existing surgery
Our team
A unique team of experienced scientists, neurologists and engineers
Insights
Understanding intracranial pressure
Evidence-based writing on brain pressure and the vital signs around it.
Dr. Recht's Insights on Intracranial Pressure Monitoring
Read article →
Why Intracranial Pressure Is the Missing Vital Sign
Read article →
ICP and Other Vital Signs: How Brain Pressure Fits the Picture
Read article →Contact us
For any inquiry, reach out to us
Or email us directly at contact@sensobrain.com.