Modular Biosensor Patch
- Magazine Article
- 19AERP04_08
- English
Army Medical Research Acquisition Activity, Fort Detrick, Maryland
Researchers are identifying new biomarkers to help monitor cognition and stress in the human body and enhance human performance. Traditional biomarkers like heart rate, temperature, oxygen partial pressure, blood glucose, electrolyte concentration, and others have been correlated with cognition and stress states. However, the correlation is indirect. Molecular biomarkers with stronger and more specific links are preferred.
Molecular biomarkers can be more specific to cognition states and typically take the form of bioactive molecules including steroids, proteins, carbohydrates, lipids, and nucleic acids. The tools available to quantify molecular biomarkers during their discovery are sensitive and selective, but also have significant drawbacks. In particular, these tools are inconvenient in a variety of ways and prohibit real time monitoring. As medical researchers identify new molecular biomarkers of importance, medical professionals need wearable sensor systems to take full advantage of their discovery. The plan is to develop a modular wearable biosensor patch to provide non-invasive, continuous monitoring of sweat based biomarkers.