Wearable Sensor Patch with Hydrogel Microneedles for In Situ Analysis of Interstitial Fluid

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Wearable Technology
• Biosensors

Background:

• Continuous monitoring of interstitial fluid biomarkers is crucial for managing chronic diseases like diabetes.
• Challenges exist in developing minimally invasive sensors and addressing signal delays for in situ analysis.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce a wearable sensor patch with hydrogel microneedles for real-time, in situ biomarker monitoring in interstitial fluid.
• To address challenges in minimally invasive sensing and signal delay compensation.

Main Methods:

• Development of a stretchable wearable sensor patch with hydrogel microneedles for interstitial fluid extraction.
• In situ measurement of glucose and lactate concentrations in both in vitro and in vivo (mouse model) settings.
• Integration of a predictive model to analyze and compensate for signal delays.

Main Results:

• The sensor patch demonstrated high sensitivity and linear ranges for glucose and lactate detection in vitro.
• In vivo glucose sensing in a mouse model showed significant sensitivity and a practical detection range.
• The integrated predictive model improved calibration reliability by compensating for signal delays.

Conclusions:

• The developed sensor patch offers a promising minimally invasive platform for continuous, in situ analysis of multiple biomarkers in interstitial fluid.
• This technology has the potential to significantly advance continuous health monitoring and chronic disease management.
• Further optimization guided by the predictive model can enhance overall sensing performance.