Kidney Disease Sweat sensor patch for Early diagnosis and Remote MonIToring

Introduction

Human sweat is abundant with biomarkers that provide information about underlying health conditions. In combination with the capabilities of wearable devices, sweat monitoring offers a promising pathway to continuous healthcare.

Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD)

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a long-term condition in which waste cannot be removed from the bloodstream, potentially leading to recurring infections and early cardiovascular disease. It affects over 100 million people in Europe alone and can go unnoticed until severe symptoms appear.

Potential for Non-Invasive Screening

There is enormous potential to develop non-invasive mass screening technologies for early diagnosis and monitoring, which can lead to preventive treatment.

Project Proposal: KERMIT

Here, we propose a kidney disease sweat patch for early detection and remote monitoring (KERMIT). This project merges three main concepts:

1. Development of a cost-effective and disposable sensing platform with minimal environmental impact.
2. Unobtrusive detection of three CKD biomarkers (cystatin-c, creatinine, and urea) from sweat.
3. Association of sweat-based concentration with blood levels, symptoms, and overall disease progress.

Platform Design

The simplified disposable platform includes:

• An iontophoresis device to produce sweat.
• A microfluidics collection system.
• A single chip to power, read, analyze, and wirelessly transmit data from various electrochemical sensors through smartphone RF/NFC protocols.

Manufacturing and Sustainability

The manufacturing process utilizes scalable printing techniques with sustainable materials, ensuring cost-effectiveness while minimizing environmental impact after disposal.

Validation and Impact

Through quantitative comparison with standard testing methodologies, the proposed system is envisioned to increase knowledge and validate sweat-based non-invasive diagnostics for CKD and a variety of diseases. This will allow for non-invasive routine screening of populations at risk and remote health monitoring, opening opportunities for targeted hospital and government health programs.