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Fu X, Qiu Y, Zhang H, Tian Y, Liu A, Wu H. Microfluidic sweat patch based on capillary force and evaporation pump for real-time continuous sweat analysis. BIOMICROFLUIDICS 2024; 18:034106. [PMID: 38841318 PMCID: PMC11149117 DOI: 10.1063/5.0208075] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/13/2024] [Accepted: 05/12/2024] [Indexed: 06/07/2024]
Abstract
In addition to the common blood and urine, fresh sweat contains a diverse range of physiological indicators that can effectively reflect changes in the body's state. Wearable sweat sensors are crucial for understanding human physiological health; however, real-time in situ measurement of multiple biomarkers in sweat remains a significant challenge. Here, we propose a wearable microfluidic patch featuring an integrated microfluidic channel and evaporation pump for accelerated and continuous sweat collection, eliminating the need for additional sweat storage cavities that typically impede real-time detection. Capillary forces are harnessed to facilitate the rapid flow of sweat through the detection area, while an evaporation pump based on porous laser-induced graphene enhances sweat evaporation. The synergistic integration of these two components enables an uninterrupted flow of fresh sweat within the patch, ensuring real-time monitoring. The influence of channel size parameters on sweat flow velocity is analyzed, and the optimal width-to-height ratio for achieving the desired flow velocity is determined. By implementing a multi-channel parallel design with chamfering, liquid flow resistance is effectively reduced. Furthermore, the patch integrates sensor modules for sodium ion, chloride ion, glucose, and pH value measurements, ensuring excellent sealing and stability of the assembled system. This work presents a simplified approach to developing wearable sweat sensors that hold the potential for health monitoring and disease diagnosis.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | - Aiping Liu
- Key Laboratory of Optical Field Manipulation of Zhejiang Province, College of Science, Zhejiang Sci-Tech University, Hangzhou 310018, People's Republic of China
| | - Huaping Wu
- Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed: and
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2
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Golparvar A, Thenot L, Boukhayma A, Carrara S. Soft Epidermal Paperfluidics for Sweat Analysis by Ratiometric Raman Spectroscopy. BIOSENSORS 2023; 14:12. [PMID: 38248389 PMCID: PMC10812966 DOI: 10.3390/bios14010012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2023] [Revised: 12/11/2023] [Accepted: 12/19/2023] [Indexed: 01/23/2024]
Abstract
The expanding interest in digital biomarker analysis focused on non-invasive human bodily fluids, such as sweat, highlights the pressing need for easily manufactured and highly efficient soft lab-on-skin solutions. Here, we report, for the first time, the integration of microfluidic paper-based devices (μPAD) and non-enhanced Raman-scattering-enabled optical biochemical sensing (Raman biosensing). Their integration merges the enormous benefits of μPAD, with high potential for commercialization and use in resource-limited settings, with biorecognition-element-free (but highly selective) optical Raman biosensing. The introduced thin (0.36 mm), ultra-lightweight (0.19 g), and compact footprint (3 cm2) opto-paperfluidic sweat patch is flexible, stretchable, and conforms, irritation-free, to hairless or minimally haired body regions to enable swift sweat collection. As a great advantage, this new bio-chemical sensory system excels through its absence of onboard biorecognition elements (bioreceptor-free) and omission of plasmonic nanomaterials. The proposed easy fabrication process is adaptable to mass production by following a fully sustainable and cost-effective process utilizing only basic tools by avoiding typically employed printing or laser patterning. Furthermore, efficient collection and transportation of precise sweat volumes, driven exclusively by the wicking properties of porous materials, shows high efficiency in liquid transportation and reduces biosensing latency by a factor of 5 compared to state-of-the-art epidermal microfluidics. The proposed unit enables electronic chip-free and imaging-less visual sweat loss quantification as well as optical biochemical analysis when coupled with Raman spectroscopy. We investigated the multimodal quantification of sweat urea and lactate levels ex vivo (with syntactic sweat including +30 sweat analytes on porcine skin) and achieved a linear dynamic range from 0 to 100 mmol/L during fully dynamic continuous flow characterization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ata Golparvar
- Bio/CMOS Interfaces (BCI) Laboratory, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), 2000 Neuchatel, Switzerland
| | - Lucie Thenot
- Bio/CMOS Interfaces (BCI) Laboratory, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), 2000 Neuchatel, Switzerland
| | | | - Sandro Carrara
- Bio/CMOS Interfaces (BCI) Laboratory, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), 2000 Neuchatel, Switzerland
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3
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Clark KM, Ray TR. Recent Advances in Skin-Interfaced Wearable Sweat Sensors: Opportunities for Equitable Personalized Medicine and Global Health Diagnostics. ACS Sens 2023; 8:3606-3622. [PMID: 37747817 PMCID: PMC11211071 DOI: 10.1021/acssensors.3c01512] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/27/2023]
Abstract
Recent advances in skin-interfaced wearable sweat sensors enable the noninvasive, real-time monitoring of biochemical signals associated with health and wellness. These wearable platforms leverage microfluidic channels, biochemical sensors, and flexible electronics to enable the continuous analysis of sweat-based biomarkers such as electrolytes, metabolites, and hormones. As this field continues to mature, the potential of low-cost, continuous personalized health monitoring enabled by such wearable sensors holds significant promise for addressing some of the formidable obstacles to delivering comprehensive medical care in under-resourced settings. This Perspective highlights the transformative potential of wearable sweat sensing for providing equitable access to cutting-edge healthcare diagnostics, especially in remote or geographically isolated areas. It examines the current understanding of sweat composition as well as recent innovations in microfluidic device architectures and sensing strategies by showcasing emerging applications and opportunities for innovation. It concludes with a discussion on expanding the utility of wearable sweat sensors for clinically relevant health applications and opportunities for enabling equitable access to innovation to address existing health disparities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kaylee M. Clark
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Hawai’i at Mãnoa, Honolulu, HI 96822, USA
| | - Tyler R. Ray
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Hawai’i at Mãnoa, Honolulu, HI 96822, USA
- Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, John. A. Burns School of Medicine, University of Hawai’i at Mãnoa, Honolulu, HI 96813, USA
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4
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Min J, Tu J, Xu C, Lukas H, Shin S, Yang Y, Solomon SA, Mukasa D, Gao W. Skin-Interfaced Wearable Sweat Sensors for Precision Medicine. Chem Rev 2023; 123:5049-5138. [PMID: 36971504 PMCID: PMC10406569 DOI: 10.1021/acs.chemrev.2c00823] [Citation(s) in RCA: 68] [Impact Index Per Article: 68.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/29/2023]
Abstract
Wearable sensors hold great potential in empowering personalized health monitoring, predictive analytics, and timely intervention toward personalized healthcare. Advances in flexible electronics, materials science, and electrochemistry have spurred the development of wearable sweat sensors that enable the continuous and noninvasive screening of analytes indicative of health status. Existing major challenges in wearable sensors include: improving the sweat extraction and sweat sensing capabilities, improving the form factor of the wearable device for minimal discomfort and reliable measurements when worn, and understanding the clinical value of sweat analytes toward biomarker discovery. This review provides a comprehensive review of wearable sweat sensors and outlines state-of-the-art technologies and research that strive to bridge these gaps. The physiology of sweat, materials, biosensing mechanisms and advances, and approaches for sweat induction and sampling are introduced. Additionally, design considerations for the system-level development of wearable sweat sensing devices, spanning from strategies for prolonged sweat extraction to efficient powering of wearables, are discussed. Furthermore, the applications, data analytics, commercialization efforts, challenges, and prospects of wearable sweat sensors for precision medicine are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jihong Min
- Andrew and Peggy Cherng Department of Medical Engineering, Division of Engineering and Applied Science, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, 91125, USA
| | - Jiaobing Tu
- Andrew and Peggy Cherng Department of Medical Engineering, Division of Engineering and Applied Science, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, 91125, USA
| | - Changhao Xu
- Andrew and Peggy Cherng Department of Medical Engineering, Division of Engineering and Applied Science, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, 91125, USA
| | - Heather Lukas
- Andrew and Peggy Cherng Department of Medical Engineering, Division of Engineering and Applied Science, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, 91125, USA
| | - Soyoung Shin
- Andrew and Peggy Cherng Department of Medical Engineering, Division of Engineering and Applied Science, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, 91125, USA
| | - Yiran Yang
- Andrew and Peggy Cherng Department of Medical Engineering, Division of Engineering and Applied Science, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, 91125, USA
| | - Samuel A. Solomon
- Andrew and Peggy Cherng Department of Medical Engineering, Division of Engineering and Applied Science, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, 91125, USA
| | - Daniel Mukasa
- Andrew and Peggy Cherng Department of Medical Engineering, Division of Engineering and Applied Science, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, 91125, USA
| | - Wei Gao
- Andrew and Peggy Cherng Department of Medical Engineering, Division of Engineering and Applied Science, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, 91125, USA
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Hu B, Kang X, Xu S, Zhu J, Yang L, Jiang C. Multiplex Chroma Response Wearable Hydrogel Patch: Visual Monitoring of Urea in Body Fluids for Health Prognosis. Anal Chem 2023; 95:3587-3595. [PMID: 36753619 DOI: 10.1021/acs.analchem.2c03806] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/10/2023]
Abstract
Visual wearable devices can rapid intuitively monitor biomarkers in body fluids to indicate the human health status and provide valuable reference for further medical diagnosis. However, unavoidable interference factors such as skin color, natural light, and background luminescence can interfere with the visualization accuracy of flexible wearable devices, limiting their practical sensing application. Here, we designed a wearable sensing patch via an embedded upconversion optical probe in a 3D porous polyacrylamide hydrogel, exhibiting a multiplex chroma response to urea based on the inner filter effect, which overcomes the susceptibility to external conditions due to its near-infrared excited luminescence and improves the resolution and accuracy of visual sensing. Furthermore, a highly compatible portable sensing platform combined with a smartphone was designed to achieve in situ rapid quantitative analysis of urea. The limit of detection values of the upconversion optical probe and hydrogel sensor are as low as 1.4 and 30 μM respectively, exhibiting the practicality in different scenarios. The designed sensing patch provides a convenient and accurate sensing strategy for the detection of biomarkers in body fluids and has the potential to be developed into a point-of-care device to provide disease early warning and clinical diagnosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bin Hu
- Institute of Solid State Physics, Hefei Institutes of Physical Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei 230031, Anhui, China.,Department of Chemistry, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China
| | - Xiaohui Kang
- Institute of Solid State Physics, Hefei Institutes of Physical Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei 230031, Anhui, China.,Department of Chemistry, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China
| | - Shihao Xu
- Institute of Solid State Physics, Hefei Institutes of Physical Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei 230031, Anhui, China.,Key Laboratory of Photovoltaic and Energy Conservation Materials, Hefei Institutes of Physical Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei 230031, China
| | - Jiawei Zhu
- Institute of Solid State Physics, Hefei Institutes of Physical Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei 230031, Anhui, China.,Department of Chemistry, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China
| | - Liang Yang
- Institute of Solid State Physics, Hefei Institutes of Physical Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei 230031, Anhui, China.,Key Laboratory of Photovoltaic and Energy Conservation Materials, Hefei Institutes of Physical Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei 230031, China
| | - Changlong Jiang
- Institute of Solid State Physics, Hefei Institutes of Physical Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei 230031, Anhui, China.,Key Laboratory of Photovoltaic and Energy Conservation Materials, Hefei Institutes of Physical Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei 230031, China
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6
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Liu L, Zhang X. A Focused Review on the Flexible Wearable Sensors for Sports: From Kinematics to Physiologies. MICROMACHINES 2022; 13:mi13081356. [PMID: 36014277 PMCID: PMC9412724 DOI: 10.3390/mi13081356] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2022] [Revised: 08/15/2022] [Accepted: 08/16/2022] [Indexed: 05/15/2023]
Abstract
As an important branch of wearable electronics, highly flexible and wearable sensors are gaining huge attention due to their emerging applications. In recent years, the participation of wearable devices in sports has revolutionized the way to capture the kinematical and physiological status of athletes. This review focuses on the rapid development of flexible and wearable sensor technologies for sports. We identify and discuss the indicators that reveal the performance and physical condition of players. The kinematical indicators are mentioned according to the relevant body parts, and the physiological indicators are classified into vital signs and metabolisms. Additionally, the available wearable devices and their significant applications in monitoring these kinematical and physiological parameters are described with emphasis. The potential challenges and prospects for the future developments of wearable sensors in sports are discussed comprehensively. This review paper will assist both athletic individuals and researchers to have a comprehensive glimpse of the wearable techniques applied in different sports.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lei Liu
- Department of Sports, Xi’an Polytechnic University, Xi’an 710048, China
- Correspondence: (L.L.); (X.Z.)
| | - Xuefeng Zhang
- Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Nano Materials and Technology, Xi’an University of Architecture and Technology, Xi’an 710055, China
- School of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Xi’an University of Architecture and Technology, Xi’an 710055, China
- Correspondence: (L.L.); (X.Z.)
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Zhao J, Zhang L, Du L, Chen Z, Tang Y, Chen L, Liu X, You L, Zhang Y, Fu X, Li H. Foxa1 mediates eccrine sweat gland development through transcriptional regulation of Na-K-ATPase expression. Braz J Med Biol Res 2022; 55:e12149. [PMID: 35976271 PMCID: PMC9377534 DOI: 10.1590/1414-431x2022e12149] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/20/2022] [Accepted: 06/08/2022] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Eccrine sweat glands (ESGs) perform critical functions in temperature regulation in humans. Foxa1 plays an important role in ESG maturation and sweat secretion. Its molecular mechanism, however, remains unknown. This study investigated the expression of Foxa1 and Na-K-ATPase (NKA) in rat footpads at different development stages using immunofluorescence staining, qRT-PCR, and immunoblotting. Also, bioinformatics analysis and Foxa1 overexpression and silencing were employed to evaluate Foxa1 regulation of NKA. The results demonstrated that Foxa1 was consistently expressed during the late stages of ESGs and had a significant role in secretory coil maturation during sweat secretion. Furthermore, the mRNA abundance and protein expression of NKA had similar accumulation trends to those of Foxa1, confirming their underlying connections. Bioinformatics analysis revealed that Foxa1 may interact with these two proteins via binding to conserved motifs in their promoter regions. Foxa1 gain-of-function and loss-of-function experiments in Foxa1-modified cells demonstrated that the activities of NKA were dependent on the presence of Foxa1. Collectively, these data provided evidence that Foxa1 may influence ESG development through transcriptional regulation of NKA expression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Junhong Zhao
- Department of Wound Repair and Dermatologic Surgery, Taihe Hospital, Hubei University of Medicine, Shiyan, Hubei, China
| | - Lei Zhang
- Mental Health Center, Taihe Hospital, Hubei University of Medicine, Shiyan, Hubei, China
| | - Lijie Du
- Department of Wound Repair and Dermatologic Surgery, Taihe Hospital, Hubei University of Medicine, Shiyan, Hubei, China
| | - Zixiu Chen
- Department of Wound Repair and Dermatologic Surgery, Taihe Hospital, Hubei University of Medicine, Shiyan, Hubei, China
| | - Yue Tang
- Department of Wound Repair and Dermatologic Surgery, Taihe Hospital, Hubei University of Medicine, Shiyan, Hubei, China
| | - Lijun Chen
- Department of Wound Repair and Dermatologic Surgery, Taihe Hospital, Hubei University of Medicine, Shiyan, Hubei, China
| | - Xiang Liu
- Department of Wound Repair and Dermatologic Surgery, Taihe Hospital, Hubei University of Medicine, Shiyan, Hubei, China
| | - Lei You
- School of Basic Medicine, Academy of Bio-Medicine Research, Hubei University of Medicine, Shiyan, Hubei, China
| | - Yonghong Zhang
- School of Basic Medicine, Academy of Bio-Medicine Research, Hubei University of Medicine, Shiyan, Hubei, China
| | - Xiaobing Fu
- Wound Healing and Cell Biology Laboratory, The First Affiliated Hospital, Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Haihong Li
- Department of Wound Repair and Dermatologic Surgery, Taihe Hospital, Hubei University of Medicine, Shiyan, Hubei, China
- Department of Plastic Surgery and Burn Center, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Shantou University Medical College, Shantou, Guangdong, China
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8
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Steijlen ASM, Jansen KMB, Bastemeijer J, French PJ, Bossche A. Low-Cost Wearable Fluidic Sweat Collection Patch for Continuous Analyte Monitoring and Offline Analysis. Anal Chem 2022; 94:6893-6901. [PMID: 35486709 PMCID: PMC9096792 DOI: 10.1021/acs.analchem.2c01052] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Sweat sensors allow for new unobtrusive ways to continuously monitor an athlete's performance and health status. Significant advances have been made in the optimization of sensitivity, selectivity, and durability of electrochemical sweat sensors. However, comparing the in situ performance of these sensors in detail remains challenging because standardized sweat measurement methods to validate sweat sensors in a physiological setting do not yet exist. Current collection methods, such as the absorbent patch technique, are prone to contamination and are labor-intensive, which limits the number of samples that can be collected over time for offline reference measurements. We present an easy-to-fabricate sweat collection system that allows for continuous electrochemical monitoring, as well as chronological sampling of sweat for offline analysis. The patch consists of an analysis chamber hosting a conductivity sensor and a sequence of 5 to 10 reservoirs that contain level indicators that monitor the filling speed. After testing the performance of the patch in the laboratory, elaborate physiological validation experiments (3 patch locations, 6 participants) were executed. The continuous sweat conductivity measurements were compared with laboratory [Na+] and [Cl-] measurements of the samples, and a strong linear relationship (R2 = 0.97) was found. Furthermore, sweat rate derived from ventilated capsule measurement at the three locations was compared with patch filling speed and continuous conductivity readings. As expected from the literature, sweat conductivity was linearly related to sweat rate as well. In short, a successfully validated sweat collection patch is presented that enables sensor developers to systematically validate novel sweat sensors in a physiological setting.
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Affiliation(s)
- Annemarijn S M Steijlen
- Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Mathematics & Computer Science, Delft University of Technology, Mekelweg 4, Delft 2628 CD, The Netherlands
| | - Kaspar M B Jansen
- Faculty of Industrial Design Engineering, Delft University of Technology, Landbergstraat 15, Delft 2628 CE, The Netherlands
| | - Jeroen Bastemeijer
- Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Mathematics & Computer Science, Delft University of Technology, Mekelweg 4, Delft 2628 CD, The Netherlands
| | - Paddy J French
- Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Mathematics & Computer Science, Delft University of Technology, Mekelweg 4, Delft 2628 CD, The Netherlands
| | - Andre Bossche
- Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Mathematics & Computer Science, Delft University of Technology, Mekelweg 4, Delft 2628 CD, The Netherlands
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