From Melanoma Detection to Diabetes Monitoring: The Promise of Microneedle Patches

Postage-stamp-sized arrays of infinitesimal needles are being developed that may one day provide the foundation for at-home cancer detection kits and wearable biosensors that can alert diabetes patients in real time as their blood sugar fluctuates. Microneedle arrays-medical patches embedded with micro-scale projections-are an emerging class of devices that are creating pain-free access to the interstitial fluid that surrounds cells just under the surface of the skin. Packed with the same enzymes and metabolites as blood, interstitial fluid also contains many unique biomarkers not found in blood. Researchers have demonstrated that the arrays can be used for inexpensive, biopsy-free melanoma detection, reported using a test strip similar to at-home COVID-19 detectors, and in a diabetes management wristband that combines continuous glucose monitoring with other chemical and cardiovascular signals to alert patients to dangerous trends that today's glucose monitors would miss.