A wearable device for continuous, real-time monitoring of biomarkers

• Grant number: 24/00063-7
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research
• Start date: August 01, 2024
• End date: June 30, 2025
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Chemistry - Analytical Chemistry
• Principal Investigator: Valber de Albuquerque Pedrosa
• Grantee: Valber de Albuquerque Pedrosa
• Host Investigator: Joseph Wang
• Host Institution: Instituto de Biociências (IBB). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Botucatu. Botucatu , SP, Brazil
• Institution abroad: University of California, San Diego (UC San Diego), United States

Abstract

Chronic diseases, such as cardiovascular diseases, chronic respiratory diseases, diabetes, and various other disorders, stand as the predominant contributors to global mortality, constituting approximately 60% of all recorded deaths. The pivotal strategy in mitigating the impact of these diseases lies in early detection. In the contemporary era, there has been a growth in personal health monitoring, self-management, and the emerging field of Personalized Medicine. The emphasis on proactive health measures aligns with the broader goal of preventing the progression of these conditions through timely intervention and personalized healthcare strategies. Recently, wearable biosensors have gained substantial attention for their ability to quantify various analytes in a simple and noninvasive manner, providing crucial insights into health, sports, food, and safety domains. Existing literature details devices proficient in analyzing diverse biofluids, including tears, sweat, and saliva. It manifests in many forms, such as modified accessories (glasses, gloves, rings), direct skin adhesion (tattoos, polymeric devices), and fabric printing. However, current devices are predominantly constrained to detecting electrolytes, electrochemically active species, or small molecules like glucose, ethanol, and lactate. Despite the extensive clinical interest in wearable biosensors, a noticeable gap persists in the literature regarding devices capable of specifically analyzing protein biomarkers. Herein, an integrated wearable sensor will be proposed for simultaneously detecting cholesterol and transferrin in sweat, all biomarker indicators of atherosclerosis. This approach offers a simple, rapid, and cost-effective means of detecting protein biomarkers, addressing a critical need in wearable biosensor technology.