Wearable SERS-Microfluidic Patch for Real-Time in Situ Monitoring of Chiral Metabolites in Sweat

Small chiral metabolic molecules are increasingly recognized as pivotal biomarkers for disease monitoring and treatment. Here, a wearable microfluidic patch is presented that integrates chiral 3D plasmonic nanostructures with surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) sensing activity for the in situ and real-time metabolic profiling of chiral molecules in sweat. The microfluidic patch is designed for the direct, in situ capture and storage of microliter volumes of sweat. By exploiting the 3D chiral plasmonic coupling interactions within the nanostructures, the integrated SERS sensor on the patch allows for highly sensitive and quantitative enantiomer detection through their unique fingerprint SERS spectra. In a proof-of-concept demonstration, the first in situ, real-time quantitative detection of chiral drug metabolite and pH in human sweat using this device is successfully conducted. This capability enables the capturing of an individual's dynamic metabolic profile. Leveraging this solution, pharmacokinetic correlations are established, showcasing the potential application of the device in assessing human health.