Jack Ly
Product and Program Manager
UES
Transdermal Optical Microneedle Sensors for Continuous Monitoring of Physiological Analytes in Interstitial Fluid
Abstract
The DoD and commercial health sector require wearable sensors for continuous health and human performance monitoring. This presentation will provide a project overview spearheaded by UES in collaboration with Tufts University, BaySpec, Inc., and the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) to develop, demonstrate, and deliver transdermal microneedle (MN) sensor patches system with wireless, wearable readers to optically detect early onset of hypoxia, hyperoxia, and electrolyte imbalance through direct sensing of the interstitial fluid (ISF) in the dermis. This platform would enable timely and efficient treatment during various phases of the military operation cycle from pre-mission preventative care to optimization of mission performance to effective post-mission recovery. The technology also has important implications in the commercial realm for continuous health monitoring of medical patients and athletes.
The project objective is to fabricate and validate MN sensor patches that contain luminescent analyte-sensing dyes for detection of tissue oxygenation and at select electrolytes. For risk reduction, two previously demonstrated optical MN sensor approaches will be assessed: 1) Synthetic polymer MNs coated with a dye-containing hydrogel (UES) and 2) Dye-loaded silk nanoparticles localized in the tips of naturally derived, bioresorbable silk-based MNs (Tufts). BaySpec will design wearable, wireless optical readers to interface with these MN sensor patches and securely report on analyte concentrations via Bluetooth. Together the MN sensor patch/wearable reader platform will allow for continuous optical monitoring of O2 and electrolyte levels in a minimally invasive manner without the need for off-site ISF collection. This unique optical sensing approach offers a means to risk reduce other ISF analyte sensing technologies under development.
Biography
Jack Ly received his PhD in Polymer Science and Engineering in 2019 from the University of Massachusetts Amherst. He joined UES directly after receiving his doctorate as a research scientist developing chromophores for injectable biosensors for implantable hypoxia sensors in collaboration with the Air Force Research Labs. This work involved the synthesis of chromophores, injectable biocompatible polymer substrates, and photophysical characterization of developed sensors in vitro and in vivo via an IACUC approved mammalian equine study. He now works as a Product and Program Manager in the Biological and Nanotechnology Directorate of UES, a BlueHalo Company.