Researchers at Washington University in St. Louis and UCLA have developed advanced microneedle patch sensors capable of monitoring drug clearance and detecting early signs of kidney and liver dysfunction. Published in recent studies in Advanced Materials and Science Translational Medicine, the wearable technology operates beneath the skin to provide clinical insights without requiring refrigeration or complex blood draws.
Wearable health technology is expanding beyond standard glucose tracking into continuous molecular monitoring, addressing a major blind spot in modern medicine. While frequent blood tests offer only occasional snapshots of how a patient processes powerful medications, new microneedle sensor platforms are designed to track drug concentrations and organ health continuously at the skin level.
Metal-Organic Framework Protection for Thermostable Kidney Sensors
Kidney disease typically progresses silently without noticeable symptoms until advanced stages. Researchers in the McKelvey School of Engineering at Washington University in St. Louis, working alongside colleagues at WashU Medicine and Texas A&M University, developed a minimally invasive microneedle patch that captures and quantifies early biomarkers of acute kidney injury from interstitial fluid, as detailed in research published Aug. 5 in Advanced Materials.
The team coated their microneedles with a metal-organic framework (MOF) shell to detect and preserve neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL) antibodies. NGAL is a clinically validated biomarker that spikes in the blood hours after a kidney injury occurs. Previously, utilizing NGAL for point-of-care or home monitoring was impractical because it required drawing blood with a needle and strict cold-chain logistics.
The MOF shell successfully preserved the biological function of the encapsulated biomolecules for up to four weeks at 50 degrees Celsius (122 degrees Fahrenheit) without refrigeration. This marks the first time a study has demonstrated that biomolecules can be encapsulated on microneedles while preserving their function against severe environmental challenges.
Tracking Drug Clearance and Organ Dysfunction in Preclinical Studies
In a separate study published in Science Translational Medicine, a UCLA-led research team demonstrated that microneedle sensors can operate continuously for six days in rats while tracking drug concentrations and evaluating how quickly the body clears those substances. By measuring drug clearance rates, the platform revealed impaired kidney and liver function, identifying early kidney injury before conventional blood tests showed abnormalities.
Many medications require precise dosing to avoid therapeutic failure or toxicity that harms the kidneys and liver. The UCLA-designed platform aims to help clinicians personalize drug dosing in real time and intervene earlier when organ function begins to decline. Continuous molecular tracking of this kind could transform drug therapy and expand precision medicine to a wide range of conditions.
Nanoscale Cavities and Increased Surface Area for Enhanced Durability
Traditional microneedle sensors often suffer from weak signals and physical damage caused by friction and protein buildup in tissue. To overcome these obstacles, the UCLA-led team engineered a strongly adhered gold coating featuring nanoscale cavities visible only at the scale of billionths of a meter.
Sensing molecules settle inside these protective cavities, shielding them from abrasion by the skin and interference from biological materials. This architectural design extended sensor operation from mere hours to six days in freely moving animals.
Because the textured surface expands the active detection area, a single high-sensitivity microneedle is sufficient to monitor an individual molecular target. Researchers note that future iterations of the patch could use different needles within the same patch to track multiple medically important molecules simultaneously.
The Washington University project received funding from the National Science Foundation, the National Institutes of Health, the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs, and a VA Merit award. Meanwhile, the underlying plasmonic-fluor technology developed at Washington University has been licensed through the institution’s Office of Technology Management.
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