According to the study published in the journal ACS Sensors, the 3D-printed monitor could one day provide a simple, non-invasive way to track health conditions and diagnose common illnesses, such as diabetes, gout, kidney or heart disease.
The researchers were able to precisely monitor the volunteers' levels of glucose, lactate, uric acid and sweat rate during exercise, the study mentioned.
"I think 3D printing can make a difference in the field of healthcare and I wanted to see if we can combine 3D printing with disease detection methods to create a device like this," said Chuchu Chen, a doctoral student at the University Washington State (WSU). and first author of the article.
For their proof-of-concept health monitor, the researchers used 3D printing to manufacture the health monitors in a unique, single-step manufacturing process.
They used a single-atom catalyst and enzymatic reactions to enhance the signal and measure low levels of biomarkers.
Sweat contains many vital metabolites that can indicate health problems, but unlike blood sampling, it is non-invasive. Uric acid levels in sweat can indicate the risk of developing gout, kidney or heart disease. Glucose levels are used to control diabetes and lactate levels can indicate the intensity of exercise, the researchers said.
According to Kaiyan Qiu, Berry assistant professor in WSU's School of Mechanical and Materials Engineering, the health monitor is made of very small channels to measure sweat rate and biomarker concentration.
Because they are manufactured using 3D printing, microchannels do not require any support structure, which can cause contamination issues during disposal, he added.
When the researchers compared the monitors on the volunteers' arms with lab results, they found that their monitor accurately and reliably measured the concentration of the chemicals as well as the rate of sweating, the study mentioned.
The researchers were able to precisely monitor the volunteers' levels of glucose, lactate, uric acid and sweat rate during exercise, the study mentioned.
"I think 3D printing can make a difference in the field of healthcare and I wanted to see if we can combine 3D printing with disease detection methods to create a device like this," said Chuchu Chen, a doctoral student at the University Washington State (WSU). and first author of the article.
For their proof-of-concept health monitor, the researchers used 3D printing to manufacture the health monitors in a unique, single-step manufacturing process.
They used a single-atom catalyst and enzymatic reactions to enhance the signal and measure low levels of biomarkers.
Sweat contains many vital metabolites that can indicate health problems, but unlike blood sampling, it is non-invasive. Uric acid levels in sweat can indicate the risk of developing gout, kidney or heart disease. Glucose levels are used to control diabetes and lactate levels can indicate the intensity of exercise, the researchers said.
According to Kaiyan Qiu, Berry assistant professor in WSU's School of Mechanical and Materials Engineering, the health monitor is made of very small channels to measure sweat rate and biomarker concentration.
Because they are manufactured using 3D printing, microchannels do not require any support structure, which can cause contamination issues during disposal, he added.
When the researchers compared the monitors on the volunteers' arms with lab results, they found that their monitor accurately and reliably measured the concentration of the chemicals as well as the rate of sweating, the study mentioned.
