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In a major advancement, scientists from Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore), have developed a novel ‘band-aid’ that measures crucial health biomarkers such as glucose, lactate, and urea through sweat. This innovative smart plaster offers a non-invasive and effective method for patients to monitor their health, potentially transforming diabetes management and overall health monitoring.
Sweat contains biomarkers like glucose, lactate, and urea that can reveal various health conditions. Collecting these biomarkers is painless and non-invasive, making daily health monitoring more feasible. Currently, diabetic patients rely on finger prick tests to monitor blood glucose levels, which involves collecting a blood drop on a strip for glucose meter analysis. Alternative sensor-based devices are available but are often expensive, rigid, and require prolonged skin attachment.
The NTU team has designed a compact and flexible light-based sensing device by encapsulating a microlaser in liquid crystal droplets and embedding it within a soft hydrogel film. This ‘band-aid’ can provide highly accurate biomarker readings within minutes.
Nanyang Assistant Professor Chen Yu-Cheng, from the School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering (EEE) and Director of the Centre for Biodevices and Bioinformatics at NTU, stated, “Our innovation represents a non-invasive, quick, and effective way for diabetic patients to monitor their health. By combining a microlaser with a soft hydrogel film, we have demonstrated the feasibility of a wearable laser to provide a more pleasant health monitoring experience for patients.”
The NTU research team highlighted the significant impact of their innovation on global healthcare, especially as diabetes prevalence rises. In Singapore alone, over 400,000 individuals live with diabetes, with projections estimating the number to surpass one million by 2050.
The innovation, detailed in the journal Analytical Chemistry, aligns with NTU 2025, the university’s five-year strategic plan aimed at leveraging innovative research to benefit society and public health.
The plaster device is designed by embedding microlasers in liquid crystal droplets, customised to detect three biomarkers: lactate, glucose, and urea. Each biomarker is distinguished by a different coloured liquid crystal dot on the plaster. When sweat interacts with the plaster, the microlasers’ light emission fluctuates based on biomarker concentration. Users can read the biomarker levels by shining a light source on the plaster, with the light emitted from the microlaser sensors analysed and translated via a mobile application.
In real-life experiments, the plaster successfully detected minute fluctuations in glucose, lactate, and urea levels in sweat, down to 0.001 millimetres (mm), a sensitivity 100 times greater than current technology.
NTU PhD candidate Nie Ningyuan, the study’s first author, explained, “Our device is capable of detecting both high and low ranges of biomarker levels. This is particularly beneficial for diabetic patients as current similar health monitoring devices focus on tracking only high glucose levels, not abnormal or low glucose levels, which may indicate other health complications. Our device will provide a clearer picture of users’ health conditions with a variety of readings captured.”
Dr Lin Chun-Hsien, MD, a physician at National Taiwan University Hospital, Taiwan, commented as an independent expert, “Diabetic patients need to frequently monitor their blood glucose levels for their safety, for example, to avoid hypoglycemia, a condition where blood sugar levels drop too low. As an endocrinologist, I often come across patients who fear pain and bleeding from finger prick tests. This laser-based, non-invasive wearable device developed by the NTU Singapore team can provide a more convenient and effective way to monitor patients’ blood glucose. Its ability to measure other biomarkers is an added bonus, offering more health data beneficial to both patients and physicians.”
The NTU research team plans to fine-tune the microlaser sensors to detect a wider variety of substances, including drugs and other chemicals found in sweat, as their next step.
