KENNESAW, Ga. | Jul 17, 2025

A Kennesaw State University student is working to develop a low-cost tool to screen for stroke in children with sickle cell disease. Sickle cell is a genetic disorder that affects more than 300,000 newborns each year and significantly raises the risk of stroke, particularly in children.  

Aster Cheung, a computer engineering student, is working with assistant professor of biomedical engineering Paul Lee through the Summer Undergraduate Research Program (SURP) to design a light-based mobile health tool that is affordable, portable and easy to use. 

Transcranial doppler ultrasound is currently the most reliable form of stroke screening, but it is not available in low-resource areas and is very expensive.  

“It requires specialized training, and it is not widely available in low-resource settings,” Cheung said. “So, to address this gap, Paul Lee’s lab is developing a compact, low-cost optical device called the SCOS system, which stands for speckle contrast optical spectroscopy.” 

The tool uses near-infrared spectroscopy to measure brain oxygen levels and speckle contrast optical spectroscopy to assess blood flow. It is connected to a mobile app, which makes it easy to use, affordable, and non-invasive. 

Cheung’s role in this project involves using a model called a “flow phantom,” which was developed at KSU to simulate human brain tissue, to test the SCOS system in a controlled environment before applying it to real patients. 

The data collected from these tests will help the team assess how well the sensors function and whether they can accurately detect differences between children with SCD and healthy children. 

Cheung began conducting research in Lee’s lab as a freshman, when she participated in the First-Year Scholars Program.  

“Later on, I got selected to participate in SURP, which has deepened my hands-on research skills and taught me how to approach real-world problems with engineering solutions,” Cheung said. 

– Story by Alyssa Ozment

A leader in innovative teaching and learning, Kennesaw State University offers undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral degrees to its more than 47,000 students. Kennesaw State is a member of the University System of Georgia with 11 academic colleges. The university’s vibrant campus culture, diverse population, strong global ties, and entrepreneurial spirit draw students from throughout the country and the world. Kennesaw State is a Carnegie-designated doctoral research institution (R2), placing it among an elite group of only 8 percent of U.S. colleges and universities with an R1 or R2 status. For more information, visit kennesaw.edu.