Researchers from North Carolina have developed a special patch that collects biomarker samples without drawing blood.
Its surface is covered with numerous microneedles. When the patch is applied, the needles painlessly pierce the top layer of skin without reaching the nerve endings.
Upon contact with the so-called dermal interstitial fluid, the microneedles swell and "pull" this fluid into the top layer of the patch. After taking the patch off, you remove the paper strip and easily analyze the sample.
"The vast majority of conventional biomarker testing relies on taking blood samples. In addition to this being unpleasant for most people, blood is a complex system. The patch makes for a 'cleaner' sample—it doesn't need to be processed the way blood does before you can test it," explains one of the authors of the technology, professor Michael Daniele.
The patch collects enough samples in just 15 minutes and remains active for up to 24 hours, which is convenient when doctors need to monitor biomarkers multiple times a day. The researchers have already started testing the device on patients.
The developers note that in the future, the patches could integrate biosensors and indicators to run on-body tests, without the need to send samples to a lab.
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