MSGID: 1:317/3 6279ea88   
   PID: hpt/lnx 1.9.0-cur 2019-01-08   
   TID: hpt/lnx 1.9.0-cur 2019-01-08   
    Multi-tasking wearable continuously monitors glucose, alcohol, and   
   lactate    
      
     Date:   
         May 9, 2022   
     Source:   
         University of California - San Diego   
     Summary:   
         Imagine being able to measure your blood sugar levels, know if   
         you've had too much to drink, and track your fatigue during a   
         workout, all in one small device worn on your skin. Engineers   
         developed a prototype of such a wearable that continuously monitors   
         several health stats at once.   
      
      
      
   FULL STORY   
   ==========================================================================   
   Imagine being able to measure your blood sugar levels, know if you've   
   had too much to drink, and track your muscle fatigue during a workout,   
   all in one small device worn on your skin. Engineers at the University   
   of California San Diego have developed a prototype of such a wearable   
   that can continuously monitor several health stats -- glucose, alcohol,   
   and lactate levels -- simultaneously in real-time.   
      
      
   ==========================================================================   
   The device is about the size of a stack of six quarters. It is applied   
   to the skin through a Velcro-like patch of microscopic needles,   
   or microneedles, that are each about one-fifth the width of a human   
   hair. Wearing the device is not painful -- the microneedles barely   
   penetrate the surface of the skin to sense biomolecules in interstitial   
   fluid, which is the fluid surrounding the cells beneath the skin. The   
   device can be worn on the upper arm and sends data wirelessly to a custom   
   smartphone app.   
      
   Researchers at the UC San Diego Center for Wearable Sensors describe   
   their device in a paper published May 9 in Nature Biomedical Engineering.   
      
   "This is like a complete lab on the skin," said center director Joseph   
   Wang, a professor of nanoengineering at UC San Diego and co-corresponding   
   author of the paper. "It is capable of continuously measuring multiple   
   biomarkers at the same time, allowing users to monitor their health and   
   wellness as they perform their daily activities."  Most commercial health   
   monitors, such as continuous glucose monitors for patients with diabetes,   
   only measure one signal. The problem with that, the researchers said,   
   is that it leaves out information that could help people with diabetes,   
   for example, manage their disease more effectively. Monitoring alcohol   
   levels is useful because drinking alcohol can lower glucose levels.   
      
   Knowing both levels can help people with diabetes prevent their blood   
   sugar from dropping too low after having a drink. Combining information   
   about lactate, which can be monitored during exercise as a biomarker for   
   muscle fatigue, is also useful because physical activity influences the   
   body's ability to regulate glucose.   
      
   "With our wearable, people can see the interplay between their glucose   
   spikes or dips with their diet, exercise and drinking of alcoholic   
   beverages. That could add to their quality of life as well," said Farshad   
   Tehrani, a nanoengineering Ph.D. student in Wang's lab and one of the   
   co-first authors of the study.   
      
      
      
   ==========================================================================   
   Microneedles merged with electronics The wearable consists of a   
   microneedle patch connected to a case of electronics. Different enzymes   
   on the tips of the microneedles react with glucose, alcohol and lactate   
   in interstitial fluid. These reactions generate small electric currents,   
   which are analyzed by electronic sensors and communicated wirelessly to   
   an app that the researchers developed. The results are displayed in real   
   time on a smartphone.   
      
   An advantage of using microneedles is that they directly sample the   
   interstitial fluid, and research has shown that biochemical levels   
   measured in that fluid correlate well with levels in blood.   
      
   "We're starting at a really good place with this technology in terms of   
   clinical validity and relevance," said Patrick Mercier, a professor of   
   electrical and computer engineering at UC San Diego and co-corresponding   
   author of the paper. "That lowers the barriers to clinical translation."   
   The microneedle patch, which is disposable, can be detached from the   
   electronic case for easy replacement. The electronic case, which is   
   reusable, houses the battery, electronic sensors, wireless transmitter   
   and other electronic components. The device can be recharged on any   
   wireless charging pad used for phones and smartwatches.   
      
      
      
   ==========================================================================   
   Integrating all these components together into one small, wireless   
   wearable was one of the team's biggest challenges. It also required   
   some clever design and engineering to combine the reusable electronics,   
   which must stay dry, with the microneedle patch, which gets exposed to   
   biological fluid.   
      
   "The beauty of this is that it is a fully integrated system that someone   
   can wear without being tethered to benchtop equipment," said Mercier, who   
   is also the co-director of the UC San Diego Center for Wearable Sensors.   
      
   Testing The wearable was tested on five volunteers, who wore the device   
   on their upper arm, while exercising, eating a meal, and drinking a glass   
   of wine. The device was used to continuously monitor the volunteers'   
   glucose levels simultaneously with either their alcohol or lactate   
   levels. The glucose, alcohol and lactate measurements taken by the device   
   closely matched the measurements taken respectively by a commercial blood   
   glucose monitor, Breathalyzer, and blood lactate measurements performed   
   in the lab.   
      
   Next steps Farshad Tehrani and fellow co-first author Hazhir Teymourian,   
   who is a former postdoctoral researcher in Wang's lab, co-founded a   
   startup company called AquilX to further develop the technology for   
   commercialization. Next steps include testing and improving upon how   
   long the microneedle patch can last before being replaced. The company is   
   also excited about the possibility of adding more sensors to the device   
   to monitor medication levels in patients and other health signals.   
      
      
   ==========================================================================   
   Story Source: Materials provided by   
   University_of_California_-_San_Diego. Original written by Liezel   
   Labios. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.   
      
      
   ==========================================================================   
   Journal Reference:   
      1. Farshad Tehrani, Hazhir Teymourian, Brian Wuerstle, Jonathan   
      Kavner, Ravi   
         Patel, Allison Furmidge, Reza Aghavali, Hamed Hosseini-Toudeshki,   
         Christopher Brown, Fangyu Zhang, Kuldeep Mahato, Zhengxing Li,   
         Abbas Barfidokht, Lu Yin, Paul Warren, Nickey Huang, Zina Patel,   
         Patrick P.   
      
         Mercier, Joseph Wang. An integrated wearable microneedle array for   
         the continuous monitoring of multiple biomarkers in interstitial   
         fluid.   
      
         Nature Biomedical Engineering, 2022; DOI: 10.1038/s41551-022-00887-1   
   ==========================================================================   
      
   Link to news story:   
   https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/05/220509112059.htm   
      
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