Recently, a team led by Professor Zhang Xueji and Professor Su Lei fromMedical Schoolat Shenzhen University (SZU) made headlines with their latest research published in the prestigiousAdvanced Sciencejournal.
Current point-of-care testing (POCT) often relies on samples of venous or fingertip blood for testing. However, the process of drawing blood can cause discomfort and pose a risk of infection for patients. In response, Professor Zhang and his team developed an innovative solution. Their research presents a new device designed to use a vacuum tube (VT)-assisted microneedle array patch (MAP) for the sampling of interstitial fluid (ISF). By utilizing micro-negative pressure generated by the VT, this device employs a 3D-printed dual-channel hollow MAP to extract 18.42 µL of ISF within 5 minutes in vivo. It outperforms existing methods for ISF extraction. Additionally, the ISF obtained by the device can be directly tested for ISF glucose using a standard commercial blood glucose meter, showing reliable consistency with venous blood glucose measurements in living organisms. What's more, the team has taken it a step further by developing an ISF biomarker detection platform based on the device. The platform, which uses various sensing methods, combines technologies including lateral flow chromatography analysis, chemiluminescence, and colorimetric paper-based assay with the device. This approach enables the instant detection of multiple physiological molecules in the ISF, such as glucocorticoids, lactate, glucose, and pH. The VT-assisted MAP device developed using this research integrates multi-modal biosensing to enable a comprehensive and mobile ISF analysis system, making real-time and point-of-care applications feasible. Its design and functionality are straightforward and user-friendly, requiring no specialized medical training for operation, thus enhancing its potential for widespread use in decentralized personal healthcare settings.
