Researchers in Singapore have developed a wearable that bypasses the need to collect biofluid samples and can help detect medical conditions like strokes earlier.
According to a report on the project, the stretchable hydrogel-based sensor tracks the user’s biomarkers—chemicals found in blood and other body fluids—including cholesterol and lactate levels. It is worn directly on the skin.
Researchers from the National University of Singapore (NUS) and the government agency A*STAR’s Institute of Materials Research and Engineering (A*STAR’s IMRE) are leading the initiative.
The wearable offers a non-invasive way to facilitate continuous, real-time monitoring and early detection of ailments, such as cardiovascular diseases and stroke. This addresses the limitations of current methods of gathering biofluid samples like blood, urine, and sweat.
The wearable can also monitor athletes’ lactate levels to detect signs of exhaustion and tissue hypoxia, which affect their performance.
“Detecting diseases early requires the rapid, continuous, and convenient monitoring of vital biomarkers,” the researchers noted. “This development is especially pertinent to areas including chronic disease management, population-wide screening, remote patient monitoring, and sport physiology.”
The process of collecting biomarkers for analysis can be inconvenient and miss real-time traits. Doctors may need to induce sweating with drugs when collecting fluids from inactive individuals, which can be uncomfortable.
Solid-state epidermal biomarkers have emerged as an alternative form of health indicators. Found in the stratum corneum, or outermost layer of the skin, these biomarkers have been shown to correlate with diseases such as diabetes, hyperlipoproteinemia, and cardiovascular conditions.
However, they are difficult to detect as traditional devices lack the necessary components to track solid-state epidermal biomarkers.
