UCLA

Wearable biomarker sensors have made significant strides in the realm of personalized healthcare, permitting the seamless acquisition of physiological data from non-invasively sourced biofluids. This research delves deeper into this frontier, investigating the potential of these sensors to monitor specific molecular biomarkers that provide granular insights into an individual's physiological and psychological states. In this thesis, three principal domains were particularly addressed: native electroactive biomarker detection, electroenzymatic detection of metabolites, and aptamer detection of xenobiotics and hormones.In chapter 2, we addressed the inherent challenges of employing voltammetry for the analysis of native electroactive biomarkers like uric acid. By introducing a fouling-resistant sensing interface that combines a boron-doped diamond electrode with a hydrophilic chitosan membrane, we provided an effective solution to the biofouling challenges that typically plague the analysis of untreated biofluids. In chapter 3 and chapter 4, our research tapped into the capabilities of oxidoreductase enzymes for indirectly reactive biomarker electroenzymatic detection. In chapter 3, we revealed the inherent limitations of the traditionally used mediator-free sensing interface for wearable applications, and devised an alternative that incorporates a permselective membrane and a platinum/carbon-nanotube-based electroanalysis layer. This approach is adaptable to measure a wide range of vital metabolites like glucose, lactate, and choline. Furthermore, in chapter 4, our design of a unique cofactor-integrated biosensing framework, utilizing cofactor immobilized single-wall carbon nanotubes, laid the foundation for broad in vivo enzymatic sensing, specifically capitalizing on nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide-based enzymatic reactions. In chapter 5 and chapter 6, we shifted the focus to the aptamer detection of xenobiotics and hormones. In chapter 5, by integrating an aptamer functionalized field-effect-transistor sensing system, our research demonstrated continuous wearable sweat cortisol monitoring. In chapter 6, our innovative microneedle-based electrochemical aptamer biosensor patch offers real-time insights into the pharmacokinetics of drugs in interstitial fluid circulation. Demonstrated through in vivo tests on specific antibiotics such as tobramycin and vancomycin, our advancements in wearable biosensors stand to revolutionize potential applications in healthcare, furnishing users with accurate, prompt, and insightful data about their health metrics.