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Updated: Mar 30, 2026
Hollow Microneedle-based Sensor for Multiplexed Transdermal Electrochemical Sensing
Published on: June 1, 2012
Functional wearable hydrogel microneedle platform for continuous ketone monitoring: Translating from rodents to
Sadegh Sadeghzadeh1, Phoebe Li1, Hanjia Zheng1
1Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Waterloo, ON, N2L 3G1, Canada; Waterloo Institute for Nanotechnology, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON, N2L 3G1, Canada.
Abstract:
Diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) is a life-threatening complication of diabetes, driven by excessive ketone production; it is most common in type 1 diabetes. Continuous ketone monitoring (CKM) could enable earlier detection and prevention of DKA, yet no wearable CKM solution is clinically available. We present a wearable CKM patch that couples hydrogel microneedles (HMNs) for painless interstitial fluid (ISF) access with an enzymatic, electrochemical biosensor for on-patch detection of ketone bodies. The HMN patch and ketone biosensor were individually characterized and optimized in vitro, then integrated into a single platform. We validated the performance of the integrated CKM sensing patch across species: in vivo testing in healthy and diabetic rats, translation to a swine model, and a pilot evaluation in human participants. The CKM sensing patch reliably tracked dynamic ketone fluctuations in all models. To our knowledge, this is the first HMN-based biosensor tested in humans. These results establish a minimally invasive, wearable approach for continuous ketone tracking with the potential to transform outpatient DKA monitoring and early intervention.
