Extended Noninvasive Glucose Monitoring in the Interstitial Fluid Using an Epidermal Biosensing Patch

Abstract

An effective, noninvasive glucose monitoring technology could be a pivotal factor for addressing the major unmet needs for managing diabetes mellitus (DM). Here, we describe a skin-worn, disposable, wireless electrochemical biosensor for extended noninvasive monitoring of glucose in the interstitial fluid (ISF). The wearable platform integrates three components: a screen-printed iontophoretic electrode system for ISF extraction by reverse iontophoresis (RI), a printed three-electrode amperometric glucose biosensor, and an electronic interface for control and wireless communication. Prolonged on-body glucose monitoring of up to 8 h, including clinical trials conducted in individuals with and without DM, demonstrated good correlation between glucose blood and ISF concentrations and the ability to monitor dynamically changing glucose levels upon food consumption, with no evidence of skin irritation or discomfort. Such successful extended operation addresses the challenges reported for the GlucoWatch platform by using a lower RI current density at shorter extraction times, along with a lower measurement frequency. Such a noninvasive skin-worn platform could address long-standing challenges with existing glucose monitoring platforms.