microneedle patch tagged posts

Multi-tasking Wearable Continuously Monitors Glucose, Alcohol, and Lactate

The device can be worn on the upper arm while the wearer goes about their day. Photos by Laboratory for Nanobioelectronics / UC San Diego

Imagine being able to measure your blood sugar levels, know if you’ve had too much to drink, and track your muscle fatigue during a workout, all in one small device worn on your skin. Engineers at the University of California San Diego have developed a prototype of such a wearable that can continuously monitor several health stats — glucose, alcohol, and lactate levels — simultaneously in real-time.

The device is about the size of a stack of six quarters. It is applied to the skin through a Velcro-like patch of microneedles, that are each about one-fifth the width of a human hair...

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Microneedle Patch delivers Antibiotics Locally in the Skin

Fingers holding the microneedle patch
The microneedles are so small that they do not reach the pain receptors, making the treatment relatively painless. Photo: Jill Ziesmer

MRSA skin infections are often treated with intravenous injection of antibiotics, which can cause significant side effects and promote the development of resistant bacterial strains. To solve these problems, researchers at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden are developing a microneedle patch that delivers antibiotics directly into the affected skin area. New results published in Advanced Materials Technologies show that the microneedle patch effectively reduces MRSA bacteria in the skin.

MRSA (methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus) skin infections are potentially lethal, especially in patients with compromised immune systems...

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Painless Paper Patch Test for Glucose levels uses Microneedles

Researchers have developed a microneedle patch for monitoring glucose levels using a paper sensor. The device painlessly monitors fluid in the skin within seconds. Anyone can use the disposable patch without training, making it highly practical. Additionally, fabrication is easy, low cost, and the glucose sensor can be swapped for other paper-based sensors that monitor other important biomarkers.

Patches seem to be all the rage these days. There are birth control patches, nicotine patches, and transdermal medicinal patches, just to name a few. Now, a team of researchers led by Beomjoon Kim at the Institute of Industrial Science, The University of Tokyo have developed a patch of needles connected to a paper sensor for diagnosing conditions such as prediabetes...

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