Poster Y8 - skin-interfaced electrochemical measurement device for monitoring inflammation during chronic disease progression

Introduction: Chronic diseases such as heart failure (HF) are increasingly prevalent conditions that are difficult to manage. Patients often experience significant deterioration between clinic visits, and by the time they become symptomatic, their condition cannot be managed outside of the hospital. Inflammation has recently been identified to take roles on promoting and inducing HF but there are no insights on the mechanisms of disease progression. The ability to perform continuous monitoring of protein biomarkers on a body-implanted device will transform our capacity to diagnose disease, preserve wellness, and propose potential treatments. We recently developed the first of-its-kind reagent-less molecular sensor for in situ detection of a wide range of targets, such as viral particles and proteins. However, continuous monitoring of chronic disease requires installing a miniature device inside the human body and continuously monitoring the patient for an extended period. In this work, we fabricated implantable and flexible electrochemical electrodes that house our DNA based protein measurement assay for function inside the body. The small device connected to the electrode array, provides efficient reaction rates with a sub-millisecond resolution, which has not been achieved using the current common diagnostics paradigm. By moving from materials used in traditional electrochemistry to using unconventional recent developments in the fields of material science, we introduce a new generation of sensing platforms that are biocompatible, affordable, reliable, and environmentally friendly to deliver the promised goals of chronic disease management.

Materials and

Methods: Using Flexible and Implantable sub-millimeter polymeric substrates, we propose a new solution for remote, continuous monitoring of chronic disease clinical biomarkers (BNP, Troponin I, IL6, TNFα as proof of concept) to manage patients’ health. Using an HF rat model and accessing interstitial fluid via contact with the device’s implantable part, we monitor disease progression, inflammation, and biomarker levels during a 4-week treatment period. This technology will provide a new generation of devices for the continuous monitoring of vital biomarkers in HF rat models.

Results, Conclusions, and Discussions: Using a 4-week period in which heart failure develops in our animal model, we observed the rise of inflammation as heart failure markers became more abundant. It suggests that the use of bioelectronics for continuously monitoring disease progression can bring new perspectives into understanding the role of inflammation in chronic disease management.

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