Monitoring of Sweat Ions and Physiological Parameters via a Reconfigurable Modular System

Wearable ring sensor for monitoring biomarkers of atherosclerosis in sweat

Atherosclerosis-induced cardiovascular diseases are a leading cause of disability and mortality worldwide. Currently, clinical diagnosis of atherosclerosis relies on analysis and assessment by large medical equipment and specialized professionals, involving invasive testing, which limits early detection and prognosis of atherosclerosis. Herein, this work develops a flexible wearable ring sensor for non-invasive real-time in situ monitoring of biomarkers associated with atherosclerosis. The device integrates electrochemical biosensing and microfluidic technology, utilizing screen-printing to create high-precision multi-channel electrodes. It can be worn on fingers to detect sweat flow rate and biomarkers including C-reactive protein (CRP), cholesterol, and potassium ions (K+), with the aim of improving disease management efficiency and enhancing patient experience. The synthesized ZIF-67@AuNPs was used as the signal amplification layer of the adapter sensor. The resulting sensor exhibites sensitive and linear responses within the concentration ranges of 0-100 ng mL-1 for CRP, 0-120 μM for cholesterol, and 10-6-1 M for K+. Further tests on specificity, reproducibility, and stability of the sensor confirm its potential for practical applications. In this work, the wearable ring sensor achieves accurate detection of atherosclerosis biomarkers in sweat samples, providing a new technological approach for non-invasive real-time monitoring that has the potential to contribute to early disease warning and personalized management.

A Patient-Centered Approach in Sensor Science: Embracing Patient Engagement for Translational Clinical Technologies

With the goal of impacting patient quality of life and outcomes, sensor science offers significant potential to revolutionize healthcare by providing advances in the detection of molecular biomarkers for personalized clinical technologies. The sensor community has achieved significant technical advancements that can impact diagnostics, health monitoring, and disease treatment; however, many sensor innovations remain confined to the laboratory, failing to bridge the translational gap between research and real-world clinical applications. This perspective presents a new direction for the sensor community, where sensor development centers on the needs and experiences of the primary beneficiaries: the patients. We provide guidelines and resources for researchers to engage with patients early and continuously throughout the research process to inform sensor specifications and better align sensor technologies with real-world clinical needs, improving their adoption and impact. We also present examples for implementing a patient-centered approach in sensor development and planning for patient engagement in sensor research. In the design of impactful sensors for patients, researchers must expand focus beyond technical specifications to embrace a patient-centered approach, which will likely lead to new opportunities for collaboration and evolution in the sensor science community.

Modular Reconfigurable Approach Toward Noninvasive Wearable Body Net for Monitoring Sweat and Physiological Signals

In the realm of wearable technology, strategically placing sensors at various body locations enhances the detection of diverse physiological indicators crucial for remote medical care. However, current devices often focus on a single body part for specific physical parameters, which hinders the seamless integration of sensors across multiple body parts and necessitates redesign for new detection capabilities. Here, we propose a modular, reconfigurable circuit assembly method that can be adaptable for multiple body locations to construct the body net. By simply reassembling different child modules with the base module using flexible printed circuit board connectors, we can efficiently detect various parameters including sweat ion indicators, electrocardiogram signals, electromyography signals, motion data, heart rate, blood oxygen saturation, and skin temperature. These data can be transmitted to a mobile phone app via a Bluetooth Low Energy protocol for further evaluation. Comparative evaluations against established commercial devices substantiate the viability of our sensor technology. In addition, results from wearable body network detections using reconfigurable sensors across multiple body parts of volunteers also indicate promising application prospects, demonstrating the extensive potential for regular health monitoring and clinical applications.

Fully Integrated Biosensing System for Dynamic Monitoring of Sweat Glucose and Real-Time pH Adjustment Based on 3D Graphene MXene Aerogel

The development of noninvasive glucose sensors capable of continuous monitoring without restricting user mobility is crucial, particularly for managing diabetes, which demands consistent and long-term observation. Traditional sensors often face challenges with accuracy and stability that curtail their practical applications. To address these issues, we have innovatively applied a three-dimensional porous aerogel composed of Ti3C2Tx MXene and reduced graphene oxide (MX-rGO) in electrochemical sensing. It significantly reduces the electron-transfer distance between the enzyme's redox center and the electrode surface while firmly anchoring the enzyme layer to effectively prevent any leakage. Another pivotal advancement in our study is the integration of the sensor with a real-time adaptive calibration mechanism tailored specifically for analyzing sweat glucose. This sensor not only measures glucose levels but also dynamically monitors and adjusts to pH fluctuations in sweat. Such capabilities ensure the precise delivery of physiological data during physical activities, providing strong support for personalized health management.