Development of an on-chip skin substitute tester for non-invasive wearable sensor for physiological signals monitoring

Abstract

Microneedles (MNs) are one of the upcoming research interests for miniaturized technology for diagnostic testing, drug delivery system and biomedical research. With these micro-sized biotechnologies emerge the need for the development of skin-on- chip devices. These devices are biomimetic systems that are fabricated on microfluidic chips. Such systems replicate the tissue interface, mechanical properties, and functions of the skin. This report discusses the development of a polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) skin-on- chip designed to conduct in-vitro testing for a non-invasive microneedle-based wearable sensor for continuous physiological signals monitoring. The fabricated skin- on-chip tester showed promising results for the measurement of glucose concentration at lower concentration values. Further development in modelling the skin barrier will allow for better replication of the skin for the skin-on-chip tester, hence allowing for more accurate testing of the viability of the MN sensor.