SINGAPORE - Media OutReach Newswire - 11 December 2025 - Imagine a world where ultrasound imaging is no longer confined to hospitals; patients with chronic conditions, such as hypertension and heart failure, could be monitored continuously in real time at home or on the move, giving healthcare practitioners ongoing clinical insights instead of the occasional snapshots – a scan here and a check-up there. This shift from reactive, hospital-based care to preventative, community and home-based care could enable earlier detection and timely intervention, and truly personalised care.

Bringing this vision to reality, the Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology (SMART), Massachusetts Institute of Technology's (MIT) research enterprise in Singapore, has launched a new collaborative research project – Wearable Imaging for Transforming Elderly Care (WITEC).

WITEC marks a pioneering effort in wearable technology, medical imaging, research and materials science. It is Singapore's first centre dedicated to foundational research and development of the world's first wearable ultrasound imaging system capable of 48-hour intermittent cardiovascular imaging for continuous and real-time monitoring and diagnosis of chronic conditions such as hypertension and heart failure.

This multi-million dollar, multi-year initiative, supported by the National Research Foundation (NRF) Singapore under its Campus for Research Excellence and Technological Enterprise (CREATE) programme, brings together top researchers and expertise from MIT, Nanyang Technological University (NTU Singapore) and the National University of Singapore (NUS). Tan Tock Seng Hospital (TTSH) is WITEC's clinical collaborator and will conduct patient trials to validate long-term heart imaging for chronic cardiovascular disease management.

"Addressing society's most pressing challenges requires innovative, interdisciplinary thinking. Building on SMART's long legacy in Singapore as a hub for research and innovation, WITEC will harness interdisciplinary expertise – from MIT and leading institutions in Singapore – to advance transformative research that creates real-world impact and benefits Singapore, the US and societies all over. This is the kind of collaborative research that not only pushes the boundaries of knowledge, but also redefines what is possible for the future of healthcare," said Bruce Tidor, Chief Executive Officer and Director (Interim), SMART.

Industry-leading precision equipment and capabilities

To support this work, WITEC's laboratory is equipped with advanced tools, including Southeast Asia's first Nanoscribe Quantum X sub-micrometre 3D printer and the latest Verasonics Vantage NXT 256 ultrasonic imaging system, which is the first unit of its kind in Singapore.

Unlike conventional 3D printers that operate at millimetre or micrometre scales, WITEC's 3D printer can achieve sub‑micrometre resolution, allowing components to be fabricated at the level of single cells or tissue structures. With this capability, WITEC researchers can prototype bioadhesive materials and device interfaces with unprecedented accuracy — essential to ensuring skin‑safe adhesion and stable, long‑term imaging quality.

Complementing this is the latest Verasonics ultrasonic imaging system. Equipped with a new transducer adaptor and supporting a significantly larger number of probe control channels than existing systems, it gives researchers the freedom to test highly customised imaging methods. This allows more complex beamforming, higher‑resolution image capture, and integration with AI‑based diagnostic models — opening the door to long‑duration, real‑time cardiovascular imaging not possible with standard hospital equipment.

Together, these technologies allow WITEC to accelerate the design, prototyping and testing of its wearable ultrasound imaging system, and to demonstrate imaging quality on phantoms and healthy subjects.

Transforming chronic disease care through wearable innovation

Chronic diseases are rising rapidly in Singapore and globally, especially among the ageing population and individuals with multiple long-term conditions. This trend highlights the urgent need for effective home-based care and easy-to-use monitoring tools that go beyond basic wellness tracking.

Current consumer wearables, such as smartwatches and fitness bands, offer limited physiological data like heart rate or step count. While useful for general health, they lack the depth needed to support chronic disease management. Traditional ultrasound systems, though clinically powerful, are bulky, operator-dependent, can only be deployed episodically within the hospitals, and are limited to snapshots in time — making them unsuitable for long-term, everyday use.

WITEC aims to bridge this gap with its wearable ultrasound imaging system that uses bioadhesive technology to enable up to 48 hours of uninterrupted imaging. Combined with AI-enhanced diagnostics, the innovation is aimed at supporting early detection, home-based pre-diagnosis and continuous monitoring of chronic diseases.

Beyond improving patient outcomes, this innovation could help ease labour shortages by freeing up ultrasound operators, nurses and doctors to focus on more complex care, while reducing demand for hospital beds and resources. By shifting monitoring to homes and communities, WITEC's technology will enable patient self-management and timely intervention, potentially lowering healthcare costs and alleviating the increasing financial and manpower pressures of an ageing population.

Driving innovation through interdisciplinary collaboration

• - Prof Xuanhe Zhao, Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering, MIT
• - Prof Joseph Sung, Senior Vice President (Health & Life Sciences), NTU Singapore, and Dean, Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine (LKCMedicine)
• - Prof Cher Heng Tan, Assistant Dean, Clinical Research, LKCMedicine
• -- Prof Chwee Teck Lim, NUS Society Professor of Biomedical Engineering, NUS, and Director, Institute for Health Innovation and Technology, NUS
• - Prof Xiaodong Chen, Distinguished University Professor, School of Materials Science & Engineering, NTU

Research roadmap with broad impact across healthcare, science, industry and economy

Bringing together leading experts across interdisciplinary fields, WITEC will advance foundational work in soft materials, transducers, microelectronics, data science and AI diagnostics, clinical medicine and biomedical engineering. As a deep tech R&D, its breakthroughs will have the potential to drive innovation in healthcare technology and manufacturing, diagnostics, wearable ultrasonic imaging, metamaterials, and AI-powered health analytics. WITEC's work is also expected to accelerate growth in high-value jobs across research, engineering, clinical validation and healthcare services, and attract strategic investments that foster biomedical innovation and industry partnerships in Singapore, the US and beyond.

"Chronic diseases present significant challenges for patients, families, and healthcare systems, and with aging populations such as Singapore, those challenges will only grow without new solutions. Our research into a wearable ultrasound imaging system aims to transform daily care for those living with cardiovascular and other chronic conditions - providing clinicians with richer, continuous insights to guide treatment, while giving patients greater confidence and control over their own health. WITEC's pioneering work marks an important step towards shifting care from episodic, hospital-based interventions to more proactive, everyday management in the community," said Prof Joseph Sung, Co‑Lead Principal Investigator, WITEC.

Led by Dr Violet Hoon, Senior Consultant at TTSH, the clinical trials are expected to commence in early 2026 to validate long-term heart monitoring in the management of chronic cardiovascular disease. Through innovations in bioadhesive couplants, nanostructured metamaterials and ultrasonic transducers, over the next three years, WITEC aims to develop a cart-based bioadhesive ultrasound (BAUS) system capable of continuous, real-time monitoring and personalised diagnosis of medical conditions. In future stages, WITEC aims to develop a fully integrated portable BAUS platform capable of 48-hour intermittent imaging.