Wearable lateral flow device for the colorimetric determination of Dermicidin in sweat

• Grant number: 23/15245-0
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: February 01, 2024
• End date: January 31, 2026
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Chemistry - Analytical Chemistry
• Principal Investigator: Laís Canniatti Brazaca
• Grantee: Isadora Muriana de Arêa Lima Pereira
• Host Institution: Instituto de Química de São Carlos (IQSC). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Carlos , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Wearable biosensors have received considerable attention due to their ability to quantify different analytes in real-time in a simple and non-invasive way, bringing important information to the areas of health, sports, food, and safety. Devices capable of carrying out analyses of different biofluids - such as tears, sweat, and saliva - are described in the literature. Such devices, however, are commonly limited to the detection of electrolytes, electrochemically active molecules, or small molecules such as glucose, ethanol, and lactate. In this sense, wearable biosensors capable of analyzing specific protein biomarkers have not yet been described in the literature. This line of research is of great importance as such devices could assist in the non-invasive diagnosis of thousands of important diseases such as different types of cancer, neuropathies, and infectious diseases, among others. Therefore, we propose the development of wearable colorimetric biosensors based on the adaptation of the lateral flow technique for the analysis of protein biomarkers in sweat in a simple, fast, and low-cost manner. In this sense, sample collection and analysis will be carried out in a flexible microfluidic device glued to the user's skin. The aim is to use dermidicin, a protein related to several types of cancer and which can be found in concentrations of the order of µg/mL in sweat, as a model analyte. In this project, we intend to build and optimize the biosensor using in vitro measurements. In future projects, it is expected to apply such devices to on-body measurements in volunteers with different health conditions, obtaining clinically relevant data on the composition of sweat, generating an impact mainly in the health area.