Joint development by Prof. Hussam Hayek from the Technion and researchers from Sun Yat-sen University enables glucose measurement and personalized metformin dosing using microneedles and nanobiological sensors
Newspaper Nature Communications. Reports a wearable platform that enables precise drug dosing through continuous monitoring of disease markers and medications in real time. The interdisciplinary research was led by Prof. Hussam Hayek from the Wolfson Faculty of Chemical Engineering at the Technion, Jian Yang, Xia Gong and Ying Zheng, in collaboration with Prof. Changqing Yi and Prof. Lalon Jiang from Sun Yat-sen University in China. This is a wearable system based on microneedles and monitors in real time, based on the intercellular fluid in the skin, sugar levels and the level of the common diabetes drug (metformin). According to Prof. Hayek, "This is a new chapter in dynamic, personalized and real-time disease management."
Diabetes is a chronic disease characterized by high levels of glucose in the blood, making it difficult for the kidneys to absorb it. It is one of the most common diseases in the world, and has been defined by the United Nations as a global pandemic. According to האגודה הישראלית לסוכרת It affects about 435 people diagnosed with diabetes and another 200 who do not know they have diabetes. In the United States, according to theCDCThere are almost 40 million diabetics – 11.6% of the population. Worldwide, there are more than half a billion patients.
One of the challenges in the field of diabetes is monitoring – both glucose levels and drug levels in the blood. Existing technologies are invasive and painful and also static, meaning they do not continuously update the information based on the constant physiological change. Most treatments are based on a uniform approach that does not take into account individual differences in metabolism, drug absorption and response to it. This inaccuracy can lead to dangerous conditions, including hypoglycemia – a very low level of glucose in the blood.
The technology developed at the Technion solves these problems by Continuous monitoring of biomarkers and drugs using microneedles. The microneedle array adheres to the skin painlessly and monitors glucose and drug levels in real time. The platform combines 3D-printed microneedles, nanoenzyme-based sensors, smartphone connectivity, and a dedicated app that enables pharmacologic-guided diabetes treatment.
The innovative system operates as a closed loop: the microneedles penetrate the upper layer of the skin and monitor the biomarkers found in the intercellular fluid. Using unique sensors containing nanoenzymes, the system continuously and accurately measures glucose and metformin levels. The signals are transmitted via Bluetooth to an application on the mobile phone, which performs pharmacokinetic (PK) and pharmacodynamic (PD) analyses in real time and produces personalized drug profiles and dosage recommendations. The application alerts you to significant changes, and the alert immediately reaches the user or the treating physician.
The researchers validated the system both in laboratory conditions (in vitro) and in animals (in vivo). In a study in diabetic mice, a high level of agreement was demonstrated between the results of the system and the results of conventional tests (ELISA, glucose meter). Furthermore, the new system detected fluctuations in glucose and drug levels – fluctuations that existing systems missed. The researchers did not limit themselves to demonstrating the effectiveness of the system, but used it to build pharmacokinetic models (which study the drug's route in the body) that are personalized models. In this way, they showed how the same dose of metformin affected different people differently depending on factors such as age, weight and metabolism.
The system allows for dose optimization, balancing therapeutic efficacy with safety, especially in preventing the development of lactic acidosis as a result of the drug. Lactic acidosis is a disorder that can lead to dizziness, vomiting, fatigue, muscle cramps, hallucinations, and even liver failure.
"By continuously monitoring both the disease state and the treatment agent, the system enables unprecedented control of treatment in real time," says Prof. Hayek"It opens new avenues not only in diabetes, but in any chronic disease that relies on a narrow therapeutic window for drugs. The new system is compact and easy to use, and therefore suitable for personalized and real-time disease management. This innovation is consistent with the vision of smart medicine that combines wearable biological sensors, artificial intelligence, and pharmacology."
In the future, the team aims to expand the system to monitor additional chronic conditions such as heart disease or epilepsy – by adjusting the sensing chemistry. According to Prof. Changqing Yi, one of the authors of the article, "This work brings us closer to an era where the wearable device will not only tell you what is happening in the body – but will direct your treatment in real time."
for the article in the journal Nature Communications.
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