Amir Hossein Gandjbakhche, Ph.D.

Translational Imaging and Spectroscopy of Chronic Developmental Disorders

Our objectives are to devise biosensors and point of care devices to find new diagnostics and therapy for developmental disorders. We are using fNIRS (functional near-infrared spectroscopy), EEG (electroencephalography), and Deep Learning models to study chronic developmental disorders such as ASD (autism spectrum disorder), DMDD (disruptive mood dysregulation disorder), and PCI (parent child interaction). We aim to comprehensively explore typical and atypical developmental trajectories in infants and children, including those at elevated risk for developmental disorders. Such research efforts will help us to provide more accurate insights into neural mechanisms through multi-modal imaging, and identify potential neuro-biomarkers for children with developmental disabilities.

We have developed wireless multimodal point-of-care biosensor to study respiratory disorders such as sleep apnea in children We have patented and validated a point-of-care biosensor for monitoring pregnancy health which can simultaneously assess pysioligical parameters of the mother, fetus and placenta using machine learning and AI models.

Dr. Amir Gandjbakhche is a Senior Investigator and Head of the Section on Translational Biophotonics of NICHD. He obtained his Ph.D. in physics with a biomedical engineering specialty from the University of Paris in 1989. He is a Fellow of SPIE, the largest society of optical engineers, and Optica. His focus has been to design relatively inexpensive, wearable and portable monitoring systems. Working at the NIH has provided with the opportunity to focus on the practical needs of heath care providers especifically in developmental chronic disorders. The translational nature of the projects requires fostering collaborations in a trans-disciplinary and trans-institutional manner within the Intramural Research Program, as well as with national and international colleagues. This proficiency has been recognized by the NICHD Collaboration Award. Furthermore, training future researchers is extremely critical for a successful research program Dr. Gandjbakhche has been awarded the NICHD Mentor Award for mentoring outstanding future researchers and physicians. In 2018, his work on wearable and low-cost devices has been recognized by NICHD Innovation Award.