Wearable Biosensors for Real-time Blood Alcohol Monitoring

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 Not surprisingly alcohol misuse is the fifth leading risk factor for premature death and disability however astonishingly among people between the ages of and it is the first In the United States alone alcohol misuse resulted in nearly fatalities in and was responsible for an economic burden of over $ billion A recent study reported in concluded that percent of the adult population in the US was affected by an alcohol use disorder AUD 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 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 teamandapos 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 the development of unobtrusive low cost microneedle based biosensors containing an embedded alcohol selective layer 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 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 PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE The proposed project aims to demonstrate the capability to quantify blood alcohol levels in real time via the development of a microneedle array biosensor applied as a non invasive transdermal patch This new wearable biosensor paradigm will impart the ability to precisely track circulating alcohol levels in the interstitial fluid in an autonomou unobtrusive and immediate fashion and is especially suited for those who are affected by alcohol use disorder AUD and desire a concealed method for assessing compliance while avoiding the social stigmas associated with managing the disease The proposed research will substantially advance the state of the art in the AUD domain and will circumvent many of the limitations associated with conventional andapos snapshotandapos methods of alcohol assessment such as breath analysis and venipuncture