06 Oct Long-Term Stable Wearable Patch Can Measure Important Biomarkers in Sweat
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
Dr. Cheng
HUANYU “LARRY” CHENG Ph.D.
Associate Professor and Dorothy Quiggle Career Development Professor in Engineering
James L. Henderson, Jr.
Memorial Associate Professor of Engineering Science and Mechanics
Penn State University
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?
Response: Although increasing efforts have been devoted to the development of non-invasive wearable electrochemical sweat sensors for monitoring physiological and metabolic information, most of them still suffer from poor stability and specificity over time and fluctuating pH and temperatures. laser-induced graphene is the low-cost platform for the early identification and continuous monitoring of different biomarkers for non-invasive disease diagnosis and treatment evaluation However, low sensitivity and limited surface area can limit the detection of ultra-low biomarker concentration in sweat or other fluids. As a result, a wide range of conductive nanomaterials has been incorporated into the porous structure of LIG to increase the available surface area, facilitate electron transfer, and enhance the electrocatalytic activity of the electrode but those nanomaterial modifications are hard to manufacture reproducibly, and they are not long-term stable.
Therefore, it is highly desirable to develop a highly sensitive, selective, low-cost, and long-term stable flexible sensing platform for continuous and accurate healthcare monitoring.
MedicalResearch.com: What are the main findings? What types of clinically useful biomarkers can you detect in sweat?
Response: This work presents the design and demonstration of a long-term stable wearable electrochemical sensing device based on simple and facile laser treatment of the modified LIG with conductive nanocomposite materials. Besides, the modified sensor could calibrate the measurement of targeted biomarkers such as glucose with simultaneously measured sweat pH and skin temperature. The demonstrated highly stable and sensitive flexible sensing platform can pave the way for the development of next-generation sensors and devices for long-term non-invasive continuous monitoring of various other sweat biomarkers such as lactate, cytokines, cortisol, and specific proteins, which can provide valuable insights toward precision medicine and population health.
MedicalResearch.com: What should readers take away from your report?
Response: This study presents a durable, flexible sensing platform based on laser-induced and structured porous graphene nanocomposites. This platform enables the highly sensitive, specific, and precise monitoring of biomarkers. By employing a straightforward laser treatment to create patterns on the porous graphene electrode, a three-dimensional network of conductive noble metal alloys and carbon-based nanocomposite materials is effortlessly formed. In addition to improved sensitivity, these graphene nanocomposites also demonstrate considerably greater stability when compared to the commonly used complex and multi-step processes required for drop-casting pre-synthesized nanomaterials (e.g., chemical, thermal, and electrochemical reduction processes). The laser-induced and structured graphene nanocomposite electrode establishes a remarkably stable and sensitive foundation for simultaneously measuring glucose and pH levels without the need for enzymatic reactions. When combined with a flexible temperature sensor based on the same material system, this wearable device can calibrate glucose detection based on concurrent temperature and pH measurements.
MedicalResearch.com: What recommendations do you have for future research as a results of this study?
Response: By incorporating a microfluidic system for collecting sweat, the wearable gadget exhibits significant promise in efficiently, precisely, and continually examining sweat across various circumstances for practical applications. This cost-effective integrated sensing platform can also be easily modified to gauge additional important health markers, such as metabolites, hormones, neuropeptides, and cytokines, from different bodily fluids, benefiting both individual and public health, personalized medical treatments, and precise dietary planning.
Citation:
Lorestani, F., Zhang, X., Abdullah, A. M., Xin, X., Liu, Y., Rahman, M. M., Biswas, M. A. S., Li, B., Dutta, A., Niu, Z., Das, S., Barai, S., Wang, K., Cheng, H., A Highly Sensitive and Long-Term Stable Wearable Patch for Continuous Analysis of Biomarkers in Sweat. Adv. Funct. Mater. 2023, 2306117. https://doi.org/10.1002/adfm.202306117
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Last Updated on October 6, 2023 by Marie Benz