Body-heat driven Electrochemical pAtch for Continuous dOpamine moNitoring

The following proposal deals with the fabrication and validation of a wearable patch for continuous dopamine sensing, realized using biocompatible materials and additive manufacturing techniques, which would allow to monitor the evolution throughout the day of this hormone which is fundamental in the treatment of many neurological diseases.

The candidate wants to provide a simple and non-invasive method which could potentially improve the quality of life of millions of patients and families affected by these diseases and reduce the growing social costs to treat them.

The device is thought to be self-powered, using the patients’ body heat as energy source, and works by analysing the dopamine concentration in human sweat, therefore no surgical procedure is required.

To detect dopamine concentration, organic electrochemical transistors are used, exploiting their amplification ability to obtain a highly sensitive monitoring device.

The patch is also equipped with a radio-frequency antenna for data transmission to medical personnel monitoring real-time the dopamine evolution in the patients. Finally, the patch is designed to be conformable, lightweight and cheap to reduce the patients’ discomfort.