Bandage Patch Measures Glucose During Exercise

Researchers from Binghamton University, State University of New York, have developed a paper-based sensor patch for diabetes care.

This patch will allow patients to have their glucose levels measured during exercise.

While several monitoring tools exist, they are not intended to take measurements during physical activity. Current monitors require “invasive and inconvenient blood sampling, causing the possibility of sample contamination and skin irritation with sweat containing various electrodes and proteins,” says Professor Seokheun Choi, an electrical and computer science assistant at the university.

Unlike other devices, this one does not require a finger prick and blood sample.

He also mentions that patients usually need to carry various materials for their tests, such as test strips, alcohol swabs, and a glucometer. This is because of the advanced electrochemical sensing technique and electrical energy needed to obtain the results.

Choi’s team developed a different type of product: a self-powered, disposable, and wearable patch that enables non-invasive monitoring of sweat. The design includes a vertically stacked, paper-based glucose/oxygen enzymatic fuel cell integrated into a standard bandage.

“The paper-based device attaches directly to skin, wicks sweat to a reservoir where chemical energy is converted to electrical energy, and monitors glucose without external power and sophisticated readout instruments,” says Choi.

With this design, the measurement is taken during or right after exercise when there is an ample supply of sweat for a sample, according to Choi. There is no need to worry about the sweat evaporating before the measurement is taken.

The researchers hope that this can lead to more non-invasive monitoring technology in the future.