California Institute of Technology (Caltech) engineers in the US have developed an inkjet printing method for producing wearable sweat sensors that can monitor a range of biomarkers in real time. This allows for the mass production of sensors capable of tracking hormones, metabolites, vitamins and medications offering continuous insights into molecular-level changes.
This core can be ‘oxidised’ or decreased when in contact with sweat, generating an electrical signal that varies in strength depending on the presence of the target molecule in the fluid. This technology was put into practice at the City of Hope in Duarte, California, where wearable biosensors incorporating the nanoparticles were used to monitor metabolites in individuals with long Covid and cancer patients’ chemotherapy drug levels. The sensors were specifically designed to identify three distinct antitumour drugs and were printed using multiple nanoparticle ‘inks’ to measure various substances in sweat.
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