Real-Time L-Dopa Monitoring for Improved Management of Parkinson Disease

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Project Summary The administration of L-Dopa therapies is highly individualized and must be dosed in accordance with the control of symptoms, which vary among individuals; hence, there is no “standard dose” of L-Dopa. The long-term goal of this project is to develop a wearable microneedle sensor for continuous real-time monitoring of L-Dopa toward identifying the proper L-Dopa dosing regimen and improving the management of Parkinson's disease. Such continuous L-Dopa monitoring capability would constitute a paradigm shift by allowing PD patients and physicians to better manage the disease. As with a closed- loop glucose monitor-insulin pump system, the insight gathered from this research could lead towards the development of a metered L-Dopa pump, ensuring accurate L-Dopa administration by accounting for circulating blood levels of L-Dopa. The proposed research is significant because of its potential to improve public health through improved understanding of symptom fluctuations at different disease stages and its contribution to scientific knowledge about how to improve the disease management.