Sweat contains biomarkers that can monitor various health conditions and sampling it is preferred by users due to its painless nature compared to giving blood samples.
To obtain sufficient nutrients or hormones from sweat for testing, intense physical activity was previously required to induce sweat, which can be challenging for individuals with limited mobility.
Now, Dr Kim Joohee from the Bionics Research Center at the Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST) and Professor John A. Rogers from Northwestern University, Illinois, have announced their new sweat monitoring device that delivers drugs that stimulate sweat glands through the skin. Their findings are detailed in Biosensors and Bioelectronics.
The research team developed a flexible device capable of delivering drugs to sweat glands by applying a current to a hydrogel containing drugs.
This small and soft device can be easily attached to the skin. Sweat induced by the drug is collected in microfluidic channels within the device and analysed for biomarkers using biosensors. According to KIST, this enables the analysis of biomarkers in sweat, reducing the need for hospital visits for testing and lowering the risk of biomarker contamination during testing, thereby increasing accuracy.
The device was attached to infants with cystic fibrosis and the chloride concentration, a biomarker in sweat that can indicate the condition, was confirmed.
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The results were said to be consistent with those obtained from traditional analysis methods using sweat collected in hospitals, with an accuracy of over 98 per cent.
Additionally, the stability of the device on the skin was ensured by confirming skin temperature and pH values. Since cystic fibrosis mainly manifests during infancy, continuous monitoring of disease progression and physical condition is necessary. With this device, monitoring can be done at home, reducing stress on paediatric patients and their caregivers.
KIST added that the new device also contributes to the expansion of non-invasive disease monitoring technology based on sweat in healthy adults. Furthermore, the technology of delivering drugs through the skin can be utilised to increase the delivery rate of drugs in localised areas such as skin conditions or wounds.
In a statement, Dr Kim Joohee said: "Through two years of collaborative research with Northwestern University, we have not only addressed the limitations of existing methods for inducing sweat but also achieved success in clinical research, bringing us one step closer to commercialization."
Professor John A. Rogers added, "We plan to conduct large-scale clinical studies and commercialisation, including adults, in the future."
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