Vision of the proposed research on the development of a self-powered millifluidic lab-on-a-chip device for measuring blood conductivity. Credit: Advanced Materials (2024). DOI: 10.1002/adma.202403568
Metabolic disorders such as diabetes and osteoporosis are rapidly increasing worldwide, especially in developing countries.
Diagnosis of these diseases is typically done through blood tests, but the existing medical infrastructure in remote areas does not support these tests, leaving most patients undiagnosed and untreated. Traditional methods involve labor-intensive and invasive processes that are time-consuming and make real-time monitoring impossible, especially in real-life environments and for rural residents.
Researchers from the University of Pittsburgh and the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center have proposed a new device that uses blood to generate electricity and measure its conductivity, paving the way for ubiquitous medical care. Their paper, “Millifluidic nanogenerator lab-on-a-chip device for low-frequency blood electrical conductivity monitoring,” was published in the journal Advanced Materials.
“As the fields of nanotechnology and microfluidics continue to advance, there are increasing opportunities to develop lab-on-a-chip devices that can overcome the constraints of modern medicine,” said Amir Arabi, assistant professor of civil and environmental engineering at the University of Pittsburgh's Swanson School of Engineering.
“These technologies have the potential to transform healthcare by providing fast and convenient diagnostics, ultimately improving patient outcomes and the effectiveness of healthcare services.”
Blood electrical conductivity is a valuable indicator for assessing various health parameters and detecting pathologies.
This conductivity is determined primarily by the concentration of essential electrolytes, especially sodium and chloride ions, which are essential for numerous physiological processes and help doctors make accurate diagnoses.
“Blood is essentially a water-based environment that contains a variety of molecules that either conduct or inhibit electrical current,” explains Alan Wells, PhD, medical director of the Clinical Research Institute at the University of Pittsburgh and University of Pittsburgh Medicine Medical Center, executive vice chairman of the division of laboratory medicine, and the Thomas Gill III Professor of Pathology in the Department of Pathology at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine.
“For example, glucose is a conductor of electricity. Through these measurements, we can see how glucose affects conductivity, so we can make a diagnosis on the spot.”
Despite its important role, knowledge of human blood conductivity is limited due to measurement challenges including electrode polarization, limited access to human blood samples, and complexities associated with maintaining blood temperature. Measuring conductivity at frequencies below 100 Hz is particularly important for gaining a deeper understanding of blood's electrical properties and fundamental biological processes, but is even more challenging.
A pocket-sized lab
The research team proposes an innovative portable millifluidic nanogenerator lab-on-chip device capable of measuring blood at low frequencies. The device utilizes blood as a conductive material in an integrated triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG). The proposed blood-based TENG system can convert mechanical energy into electricity through triboelectricization.
In this process, electrons are exchanged between the contacting materials, resulting in a charge transfer. In a TENG system, the electron transfer and charge separation creates a voltage difference, which allows an electric current to flow when the materials undergo relative motion, such as compression or sliding.
The researchers analyzed the voltage generated by the device under predefined load conditions to determine the electrical conductivity of blood. The self-powering mechanism enables miniaturization of the proposed blood-based nanogenerator. The researchers also used an AI model to directly estimate the electrical conductivity of blood using the voltage patterns generated by the device.
To test the accuracy, the research team compared the results with traditional tests and it was successful. This paves the way for testing to be carried out where people live. Furthermore, the blood-powered nanogenerator can function wherever blood is present, and can use local blood chemistry reactions to perform self-powered diagnostics.
More information: Jianzhe Luo et al., “Millifluidic nanogenerator lab-on-chip device for low-frequency blood electrical conductivity monitoring,” Advanced Materials (2024). DOI: 10.1002/adma.202403568 , onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/adma.202403568
Provided by University of Pittsburgh
Source: New blood-powered chip enables real-time health monitoring (June 24, 2024) Retrieved June 24, 2024 from https://medicalxpress.com/news/2024-06-blood-powered-chip-real-health.html
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