A bioinspired microfluidic wearable sensor for multiday sweat sampling, transport, and metabolic analysis

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Wearable Technology
• Microfluidics

Background:

• Wearable sweat sensors offer noninvasive real-time biochemical monitoring for personalized healthcare.
• Challenges include inconsistent sweat secretion, evaporation, and reliance on external stimulation for prolonged monitoring.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a bioinspired microfluidic wearable sweat sensor system (BMS3) for multiday continuous metabolic monitoring.
• To overcome limitations of current sweat sampling and analysis for reliable, long-term health tracking.

Main Methods:

• BMS3 integrates hierarchically graded microchannels and Janus membranes inspired by natural structures for efficient sweat collection and transport.
• A carbachol gel-based iontophoresis module autonomously induces localized sweat secretion.
• The system enables sustained sweat sampling for over 2 days from a single session.

Main Results:

• Demonstrated capability for continuous metabolic monitoring in vitro and in vivo.
• Successfully tracked uric acid, xanthine, and alcohol levels simultaneously.
• Effectively differentiated normal and pathological states, providing therapeutic feedback.

Conclusions:

• BMS3 provides a novel solution for prolonged, reliable sweat sampling and analysis.
• The bioinspired microfluidic system advances wearable technology for personalized metabolic health monitoring.
• Enables timely therapeutic feedback for conditions like gout.