Smartphone enabled biomarker sensing and on-demand drug delivery using 3D printed hollow microneedle arrays
| dc.contributor.author | Ninan, Joel | |
| dc.contributor.supervisor | Akbari, Mohsen | |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2024-12-19T17:58:50Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2024-12-19T17:58:50Z | |
| dc.date.issued | 2024 | |
| dc.degree.department | Department of Mechanical Engineering | |
| dc.degree.level | Master of Engineering MEng | |
| dc.description.abstract | Remote health monitoring and disease treatment are pivotal in advancing health equity, reducing geographical and socioeconomic barriers, and providing universal access to quality care. By enabling continuous, personalized healthcare, this paradigm addresses disparities, offering timely interventions for individuals in underserved or remote locations. Microneedle arrays (MNAs) stand at the forefront of this revolution, enabling painless, minimally invasive access to interstitial fluid for both diagnostics and drug delivery. This paper presents a groundbreaking theranostic wearable system, leveraging digital light processing (DLP) 3D-printed hollow microneedle arrays fabricated using PEGDA hydrogel, equipped with colorimetric sensors for the quantitative analysis of key biomarkers, including pH, glucose, and lactate, directly from the skin's interstitial fluid. The system incorporates a remotely activated, smartphone enabled, ultrasonic atomizer-driven mechanism for on-demand drug delivery, enhancing portability by eliminating the need for complex mechanical pumps. This integrated approach simplifies point-of-care treatments and expands the possibilities for remote patient management. The accompanying smartphone application seamlessly interfaces with the system, enabling real-time monitoring and drug administration. Demonstrated results include precise detection of pH (3–8 mM), glucose (up to 16 mM), and lactate (up to 1.6 mM), as well as enabling the effective administration of drugs in response to biomarker fluctuations. The system's drug delivery performance was validated using on-demand on/off tests and its biocompatibility using a scratch assay, highlighting its potential for treating chronic diseases requiring sustained therapy. This innovative platform not only addresses key challenges in drug delivery but also opens new pathways for non-invasive health monitoring, offering a transformative solution for the long-term management of chronic conditions. | |
| dc.description.scholarlevel | Graduate | |
| dc.identifier.uri | https://hdl.handle.net/1828/20866 | |
| dc.language.iso | en | |
| dc.rights | Available to the World Wide Web | |
| dc.title | Smartphone enabled biomarker sensing and on-demand drug delivery using 3D printed hollow microneedle arrays | |
| dc.type | project |