What the study found
The study found that a microneedle-based resilient nanostructured bioelectrode could support high-fidelity in vivo monitoring of low-concentration analytes and organ function. The authors report that it extended biosensor lifetime for pharmacokinetics monitoring to 6 days in a freely moving rat.
Why the authors say this matters
The authors suggest this platform could enable minimally invasive, longitudinal monitoring in precision medicine. They also state that it allows blood-equivalent pharmacokinetic measurements, which they say can support precision dosing of narrow therapeutic index drugs and direct assessment of hepatic and renal clearance.
What the researchers tested
The researchers developed a microneedle-based resilient nanostructured bioelectrode using a bilayer process with a micrometer-thick gold adhesion layer and controlled dealloying. They tested corrosion resistance, stability over a wide potential window, and integration with receptor-based electrochemical biosensors, then used the platform in rat studies of pharmacokinetics, liver injury, and chronic kidney disease.
What worked and what didn't
The resilient nanostructured bioelectrodes were reported to be corrosion resistant, stable, abrasion immune in stiff tissues, and to have an artifact-free nanocavity-textured interface. The study reports improved signal-to-noise ratio, increased active area, diffusion, and antifouling, along with a 6-day in vivo lifetime; in liver-damaged models, the device revealed delayed irinotecan clearance, and in renal studies it correlated with blood antibiotic pharmacokinetics across chronic kidney disease severities. The RNB also detected renal impairment earlier than conventional biomarker thresholds through drug clearance quantification and captured recovery under therapeutic intervention.
What to keep in mind
The abstract does not describe detailed limitations, and the summary provided here is limited to the information in the title and abstract. The reported findings are from preclinical rat studies, so the abstract does not state clinical performance in humans.
Key points
- A microneedle-based resilient nanostructured bioelectrode supported 6-day in vivo pharmacokinetics monitoring in a freely moving rat.
- The authors say the platform enabled blood-equivalent pharmacokinetic measurements for narrow therapeutic index drugs and organ clearance assessment.
- In liver-damaged models, the device showed delayed clearance of irinotecan.
- In chronic kidney disease studies, recordings correlated with blood antibiotic pharmacokinetics across disease severities.
- The device detected renal impairment earlier than conventional biomarker thresholds and captured recovery during treatment.
Disclosure
- Research title:
- Microneedle biosensor tracked drug clearance and organ dysfunction
- Authors:
- Jialun Zhu, Xuanbing Cheng, M. Bahman Bahramian, Kuanming Yao, Zongqi Li, Boyu Hu, Tsung‐Yu Wu, Kiarash A. Sabet, Jiarui Cui, Jiawei Tan, Junjie Fang, Yifu Li, Connie Ho, Joshua Ng, Anthony Sung, Isabel Romero, Shuyu Lin, Y Zhao, Kaiji Zhang, Ryan Chaiyakul, Hanie Yousefi, Connor D. Flynn, Jagotamoy Das, David Jelínek, Laurent Voisin, Aaron Ambrus, Ao Zhang, Yitian Chi, Yu Chen, Chong Liu, Hilary A. Coller, Benjamin M. Wu, Nanthia Suthana, Shana O. Kelley, Carlos Milla, Ira Kurtz, Sam Emaminejad
- Institutions:
- BioElectronics (United States), University of California, Los Angeles, Samueli Institute, Boston Children's Hospital, Center for Pain and the Brain, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Northwestern University, McCormick (United States), Chan Zuckerberg Initiative (United States), Chan Zuckerberg Biohub Chicago, Florida State University, California NanoSystems Institute, Somerville Hospital, Duke University, Stanford Medicine
- Publication date:
- 2026-04-01
- OpenAlex record:
- View
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