Imagine a patch barely larger than a postage stamp but stuffed with electronics and which can connect to your smartphone to transmit its information. This patch, placed on the skin before exercising, is actually a small laboratory that will record the pH of your sweat as well as the concentration of lactate, glucose and chloride. This information is sent to your smartphone which will analyze it and give you the results on your state of health.
Developed by researchers at the Northwest University in Seattle (United States), this patch allows, for the moment, to obtain information on the health of athletes, and in particular that of cyclists. But eventually, the researchers think what they call a “flexible microfluidic device” could replace blood tests to obtain patient health information.
Monitoring patients with chronic diseases
“Sweat is an extremely rich chemical broth that contains vital information about physiological health” explains Professor John Rogers, lead author of the study. For now, the patch can already detect cystic fibrosis biomarkers. But it could be adapted to monitor the health of people with chronic diseases.
This study was published in science translational medicine.
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