Wearable Biosensors for Real-time Blood Alcohol Monitoring

 描述（由申请人提供）：酒精消费具有普遍的流行和广泛的社会文化影响。酒精的成瘾性导致全球相当大一部分人口强迫性和不受控制地消费酒精饮料。过量饮酒与过多的生理和心理健康后果有关，其中一些包括酒精依赖，肝硬化，癌症和醉酒时操作机器造成的身体伤害[1]。毫不奇怪，酒精滥用是过早死亡和残疾的第五大风险因素，然而，令人惊讶的是，在15至49岁的人群中，它是第一个[2]。仅在美国，2006年酗酒就导致近88，000人死亡[3]，并造成超过2000亿美元的经济负担[4]。2012年的一项最新研究得出结论，美国7.2%的成年人受到酒精使用障碍（AUD）的影响[5]，进一步证实了这种疾病的广泛流行。尽管有这些统计数据，但大多数酗酒造成的人类和经济损失是可以通过各种旨在识别过度消费煽动者的计划来预防的[3]。该项目旨在通过开发一种酒精选择性微针阵列生物传感器来解决上述与AUD管理相关的挑战，该生物传感器作为隐藏的透皮贴剂应用于皮肤。拟议的可穿戴设备利用我们团队在电化学、微制造、导电聚合物、表面功能化和无线微电子学方面的最新创新，以非侵入性、无痛的方式提供间质液中循环酒精水平的实时曲线，从而大大提高现有酒精监测解决方案的合规性。该研究项目的预期成果包括：（1）开发不引人注目的、低成本的基于微针的生物传感器，其包含嵌入式酒精选择层;（2）将所述酒精生物传感器与机载电化学分析仪和低功率无线传输能力配对，以便于将结果呈现给操作者并出于合规目的进行存档;和（3）在临床环境中验证基于微针的酒精定量方法。这种方法聚集了用于基于微针的电极特遣队的功能化的创新技术，并且依赖于与电化学转导的新方法相关的生物催化换能器的开发。这种透皮生物传感器平台的显著特征包括高灵敏度、稳定性、选择性、简单性、多功能性和鲁棒性，并且价格适合广泛采用。通过在临床环境中评估该平台，从这项研究中收集的见解可以导致开发一种可穿戴平台，该平台能够识别过度消费的煽动者，监测趋势，并评估对规定治疗方案的依从性，从而确保改善疾病的结果和管理。

 DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Alcohol consumption has universal prevalence and widespread socio-cultural reach. The addictive nature of alcohol has resulted in the compulsive and uncontrolled consumption of alcoholic beverages for a sizeable segment of the global population. Overconsumption of alcohol is associated with a plethora of physiological and mental health consequences, some of which include alcohol dependence, liver cirrhosis, cancers, and bodily injury from operating machinery while intoxicated [1]. Not surprisingly, alcohol misuse is the fifth leading risk factor for premature death and disability, however, astonishingly, among people between the ages of 15 and 49, it is the first [2]. In the United States alone, alcohol misuse resulted in nearly 88,000 fatalities in 2006 [3] and was responsible for an economic burden of over $200 billion [4]. A recent study reported in 2012 concluded that 7.2 percent of the adult population in the US was affected by an alcohol use disorder (AUD) [5], further substantiating the widespread prevalence of this disease. In spite of these statistics, most of the human and economic tolls of alcoholism are preventable through various programs aimed at identifying the instigators of overconsumption [3]. This project aims to address the above challenges associated with the management of AUD via the development of an alcohol-selective microneedle array biosensor, applied to the skin as a concealed transdermal patch. The proposed wearable device leverages our team's latest innovations in electrochemistry, micro-manufacturing, conducting polymers, surface functionalization, and wireless microelectronics to tender the real-time profile of circulating alcohol levels in the interstitial luid in a non-invasive, pain-free fashion, thereby leading to substantially improved compliance over existing alcohol monitoring solutions. Expected outcomes from this research project include: (1) the development of unobtrusive, low-cost microneedle-based biosensors containing an embedded alcohol-selective layer; (2) the pairing of said alcohol biosensors with an onboard electrochemical analyzer and low-power wireless transmission capabilities facilitating the presentation of results to the operator and archiving for compliance purposes; and (3) validation of the microneedle-based alcohol quantification method in the clinical setting. This approach agglomerates innovative techniques for the functionalization of the microneedle-based electrode contingent and relies on the development of biocatalytic transducers in connection with novel methods of electrochemical transduction. The salient features of this transdermal biosensor platform include high sensitivity, stability, selectivity, simplicity, versatility, and robustness t a price that is amenable to widespread adoption. By evaluating the platform in the clinical setting, the insight gathered from this study could lead towards the development of a wearable platform capable of identifying the instigators of overconsumption, monitoring trends, and assessing compliance with prescribed treatment regimens, hence ensuring improved outcomes and management of the disease.