Researchers develop pain-free, wearable tech for health checks

Wednesday, June 19, 2024

Researchers from the University of Waterloo and McMaster University have developed a pain-free, wearable sensor that can continuously monitor critical health indicators and send results to a smartphone or other device.

Waterloo Engineering professor Dr. Mahla Poudineh from the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering worked with McMaster’s Dr. Leyla Soleymani, professor of Engineering Physics, to create the Wearable Aptalyzer.

The Wearable Aptalyzer is a painless patch that uses an array of tiny hydrogel needles that penetrate just deeply enough to reach the interstitial fluid beneath the skin, but not far enough to reach the blood vessels or nerves.

The patch gathers and sends information about markers in the fluid to an electronic device such as a smartphone, creating an ongoing record of patterns in the rise and fall of critical biomarkers. 

“The Wearable Aptalyzer is a general platform, meaning it can measure any biomarkers of interest, ranging from diabetes to cardiac biomarkers,” said Poudineh. “Continuous health monitoring doesn't just help catch diseases early and track how treatments are working. It also helps us understand how diseases happen, filling in important gaps in our knowledge that need attention.”

A user would apply and remove the patch much like a small bandage held in place with barely visible, soft hooks. The convenience is likely to appeal to diabetics and others who test themselves by drawing samples of blood or by using solid monitoring patches with metal needles that penetrate deeper and rely on less specific electrodes.

Once developed for clinical use, it will allow health professionals to access current medical information that is available only retrospectively after blood tests and lab work. 

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