Structurally Engineered All-Polymeric Microneedle Sensor for Highly Sensitive and Real-Time Monitoring of Glucose in...

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Materials Science
• Analytical Chemistry

Background:

• Diabetes mellitus (DM) management requires continuous glucose monitoring.
• Conventional microneedles (MNs) have limitations in sensitivity and component loading for glucose sensing.
• Structural engineering of MNs can overcome current limitations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a highly sensitive, fully polymeric glucose sensor using structurally engineered microneedles.
• To enhance electrochemical sensitivity and catalytic component loading in microneedle-based glucose sensors.
• To validate the in vivo performance and clinical accuracy of the novel glucose sensor.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of biocompatible, mushroom-shaped microneedles from TEGDMA/DUDMA composite.
• Functionalization of microneedles with PEDOT/Tos to improve electron transport.
• Capillary-driven dip-coating for localized deposition of Pt NPs/PEDOT:PSS ink.
• Electrochemical characterization and in vivo validation against commercial glucometers.

Main Results:

• Mushroom-shaped MNs showed a 12.6-fold increase in current response to glucose compared to conical MNs.
• The sensor maintained a linear dynamic range of 2–20 mM for glucose detection.
• In vivo studies demonstrated real-time glucose tracking with high accuracy and strong correlation to commercial glucometer readings.

Conclusions:

• Structurally engineered, mushroom-shaped microneedles significantly enhance glucose sensing performance.
• The developed sensor offers a promising platform for reliable, continuous glucose monitoring in diabetes care.
• This approach highlights the potential of material and structural design in advancing biosensing technologies.