Wearable Biosensors for Real-time Blood Alcohol Monitoring

 描述(申请人提供)：酒精消费具有普遍的普遍性和广泛的社会文化影响。酒精的成瘾性导致全球相当一部分人强迫和无节制地消费酒精饮料。过度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、肝硬变、癌症和醉酒时操作机器造成的身体伤害[1]。酒精滥用是导致过早死亡和残疾的第五大风险因素，这并不令人惊讶，然而，令人惊讶的是，在15岁至49岁的人群中，这是第一大风险因素。仅在美国，酒精滥用在2006年就导致近88,000人死亡[3]，并造成超过2,000亿美元的经济负担[4]。2012年报告的一项最新研究得出结论，美国7.2%的成年人口受到酒精使用障碍(AUD)[5]的影响，进一步证实了这种疾病的广泛流行。尽管有这些统计数据，但通过旨在识别过度消费煽动者的各种计划，酒精中毒造成的大部分人类和经济损失是可以预防的[3]。该项目旨在通过开发酒精选择性微针阵列生物传感器来解决与AUD管理相关的上述挑战，该传感器作为隐蔽的透皮贴片应用于皮肤。建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方面的最新创新，以非侵入性、无痛的方式提供间质液体中循环酒精水平的实时概况，从而大大提高了与现有酒精监测解决方案的合规性。这项研究项目的预期成果包括：(1)开发包含嵌入式酒精选择层的非显眼、低成本的微针生物传感器；(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，以便于向操作员呈现结果并进行合规存档；以及(3)在临床环境中验证基于微针的酒精定量方法。这种方法聚集了微针电极的功能化的创新技术，并依赖于生物催化换能器与新的电化学转导方法的发展。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、通用性和健壮性，价格易于广泛采用。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能导致开发一种可穿戴平台，能够识别过度消费的煽动者，监测趋势，并评估对处方治疗方案的遵从性，从而确保改善结果和疾病管理。

 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.