New York, October 1, 2023: A team of researchers has introduced an innovative wearable patch capable of monitoring specific glucose levels in human sweat for up to three weeks while simultaneously tracking body temperature and pH levels. This continuous sweat monitoring offers valuable insights into human health, particularly glucose levels in the body.
The researchers, hailing from Penn State University in the United States, have developed a novel wearable sensor employing a laser-modified graphene nanocomposite material.
Principal investigator Huanyu “Larry” Cheng noted, “Sweat is ideal for real-time, continuous, and non-invasive biomarker detection. But low biomarker concentration levels in sweat and variability in other factors like pH, salinity, and temperature have previously challenged sweat biosensors in terms of detection and accuracy.”
Cheng added that their device addresses these challenges and can accurately measure glucose levels for extended periods.
The breakthrough involves subjecting the gold and silver alloy nanocomposite material to a simple laser treatment, rendering it resistant to “agglomeration” or clumping.
The wearable patch enables the calibration of glucose measurements based on fluctuations in sweat, pH, and body temperature resulting from activities such as exercise and eating.
This patch, which is approximately twice the width of a postage stamp and adhered to the skin using adhesive tape, can wirelessly transmit collected data to a computer or mobile device for real-time monitoring and analysis.
Cheng stated, “The result of our work is a sensor with notable sensitivity and stability for monitoring glucose levels over multiple weeks. It is a low-cost platform offering convenient, accurate, and continual sweat analysis under diverse conditions, with great potential for individual and population health, personalized medicine, and precision nutrition.”
