Who: Center for Nanoparticle Research at the Korean Institute for Basic Science (IBS)
What: Wearable graphene-based biomedical device capable of sweat-based glucose monitoring and controlling. The device comprises an electronic chemical sensor that measures glucose levels using human sweat and microneedles that automatically inject medication.The researchers improved the device’s detecting capabilities by integrating electrochemically active and soft functional materials on the hybrid of gold-doped graphene and a serpentine-shape gold mesh. The device’s pH and temperature monitoring functions enable systematic corrections of sweat glucose measurements as the enzyme-based glucose sensor is affected by pH (blood acidity levels) and temperature.
Where: Treatment of chronic diseases like diabetes. If abnormally high levels of glucose are detected, a drug is released into a patient’s bloodstream via drug loaded microneedles. The drug is released when the coating in the microneedles is melted by the heater at a temperature of 42 degrees Celsius.
When: The researchers demonstrated the therapeutic effects by experimenting on diabetic mice and confirmed precise measurement glucose levels in humans.
