By Ankit SinghReviewed by Susha Cheriyedath, M.Sc.Jul 23 2024Wearable diagnostic and sensing technologies are transforming healthcare by facilitating continuous, real-time monitoring of diverse physiological indicators. These devices, often integrated into common accessories such as watches, patches, and garments, generate critical data that can enable early disease identification, personalized therapeutic approaches, and chronic condition management.
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However, challenges related to biocompatibility, flexibility, and sensitivity have stinted the development of these technologies. Bioinspired materials, which emulate the characteristics of natural systems, are revolutionizing wearable diagnostics by generating more effective, adaptable, and sustainable solutions.
From Nature to Innovation
Bioinspired materials, also known as biomimetic materials, are designed based on principles observed in nature. This approach leverages millions of years of evolutionary optimization to solve complex engineering problems. Early bioinspired materials drew inspiration from the structural properties of natural elements like spider silk, lotus leaves, and gecko feet. These initial efforts focused on replicating physical characteristics such as strength, adhesion, and hydrophobicity.1
Over time, advancements in materials science and nanotechnology have expanded the scope of bioinspired materials. These materials now have functional properties like self-healing, responsiveness to stimuli, and bioactivity, in addition to structural properties. This has enabled the integration of bioinspired materials into wearable diagnostic and sensing devices, creating products that better match the human body and its environment.1
Fundamentals Behind the Development of Bioinspired Materials
Bioinspired materials for wearable diagnostics and biosensors are guided by principles derived from nature, ensuring effectiveness, sustainability, and biocompatibility.
Inspired by the regenerative abilities of organisms, these materials are designed to self-repair after damage, improving durability and lifespan. This is crucial for wearable devices that undergo frequent mechanical stress, maintaining functionality and reliability over extended periods.1
Bioinspired materials are stimuli-responsive, reacting to environmental changes like temperature, pH, or light, similar to plants' leaf movements. This responsiveness enables dynamic adaptation in biosensors, ensuring accurate readings under varying conditions. These materials also emulate nature’s multi-scale structures, combining different organizational levels for enhanced strength and functionality. It enables the creation of complex, multi-functional materials for wearable diagnostics.1
Utilizing renewable and environmentally friendly resources, inspired by nature's efficient processes, is crucial for developing and disposing of wearable devices responsibly. This approach not only reduces ecological impact but also ensures that materials are compatible with biological tissues, minimizing immune reactions and enhancing integration with the human body. Such considerations are essential for ensuring that wearable diagnostics remain comfortable and safe over extended periods.1
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Transforming Biosensors and Wearable Diagnostics
The integration of bioinspired materials has profoundly transformed biosensors and wearable diagnostics, enhancing their sensitivity, flexibility, durability, biocompatibility, energy efficiency, and multi-functionality, leading to more reliable and effective health monitoring solutions.
Enhanced Sensitivity and Specificity
Biomimetic materials have substantially enhanced the sensitivity and specificity of biosensors. For example, materials replicating the structure of butterfly wings, which possess natural photonic crystals, have been employed to develop biosensors with improved optical properties. These advanced biosensors can detect minute changes in biomolecular interactions, enabling earlier and more accurate diagnoses.1
Furthermore, these sophisticated biosensors can identify specific biomarkers at lower concentrations than traditional sensors, rendering them invaluable for early disease detection. Through the incorporation of these materials, wearable diagnostics would be capable of frequently tracking health parameters such as glucose, hormone, and metabolic status, among others, thus improving the quality of data obtained.1
Flexibility and Wearability
The incorporation of bioinspired materials has also addressed the need for flexible and comfortable wearable devices. Scientists have developed carbon nanotube-based materials to mimic the properties of spider silk, which can stretch and bend without becoming impaired. This has led to the creation of portable devices that are flexible enough to conform to the human body, enabling reliable data collection while remaining convenient for long-term use.2
These flexible materials can aid in the development of ultra-thin, lightweight biosensors that can be integrated into various forms of clothing and accessories. This integration not only enhances user comfort but also improves the functionality of the devices, as they can be worn unobtrusively during daily activities, providing continuous health monitoring without causing discomfort or inconvenience.2
Self-Healing and Durability
Wearable devices often face wear and tear from daily use. Bioinspired materials that mimic natural self-healing can repair themselves, increasing device lifespan. For example, materials inspired by the self-healing capabilities of squid ring teeth proteins have been used to create biosensors that can self-repair when damaged, maintaining their performance over time.3
This self-healing reduces the need for replacements and repairs, making wearable diagnostics more cost-effective and sustainable. It also ensures devices remain functional and reliable even after physical stress or damage, enhancing their durability and usability.3
Biocompatibility and Integration
Bioinspired materials are designed to be biocompatible, minimizing the risk of adverse reactions when in contact with biological tissues. Materials inspired by the natural extracellular matrix, which provides structural and biochemical support to cells, have been used to develop biosensors that integrate seamlessly with the human body. This integration enhances the accuracy and reliability of the collected data, as the sensors are less likely to be rejected by the host organism.3
Biocompatibility also allows wearable diagnostics to be used for extended periods without causing irritation or discomfort. This is crucial for chronic disease management and long-term health monitoring, where continuous data collection is essential for effective treatment and intervention.3
Energy Efficiency
Another significant transformation brought by bioinspired materials is in the realm of energy efficiency. Bioinspired materials, such as those mimicking the energy storage capabilities of biological systems like the electric eel, are being used to create more efficient and sustainable power sources for wearable devices. These materials can generate and store energy more effectively, reducing the need for frequent recharging and enhancing the overall usability of wearable diagnostics.4
Energy-efficient biosensors can harvest energy from the environment or the user's body, such as through movements or body heat, ensuring continuous operation without the need for external power sources. This self-sufficiency makes wearable diagnostics more convenient and reliable, as they can function autonomously for longer periods.4
Multi-Functionality
Bioinspired materials have also enabled the development of multi-functional wearable devices. Inspired by the multifunctional nature of biological tissues, such as skin, which can sense pressure, temperature, and humidity, researchers have created materials that can perform multiple sensing tasks simultaneously. This multi-functionality enhances the capabilities of wearable diagnostics, allowing them to monitor various health parameters in parallel.5
For instance, a single wearable device can now track heart rate, body temperature, and hydration levels simultaneously, providing comprehensive health monitoring in real time. This integration streamlines the health tracking process and reduces the need for multiple specialized devices, making the technology more accessible and user-friendly.5
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Cutting-Edge Innovations in Bioinspired Materials
Recent research in bioinspired materials for wearable diagnostics and biosensors has yielded promising results. A recent study published in Acta Biomaterialia reported the development of a self-healing, bioinspired electronic skin that mimics the properties of human skin. This material, which combines flexibility, sensitivity, and self-healing capabilities, holds potential for applications in prosthetics and wearable health monitors.6
Another breakthrough study published in Biosensors involved the creation of a bioinspired sweat sensor capable of continuously monitoring glucose levels in diabetic patients. This sensor, inspired by the structure of human sweat glands, offers a non-invasive alternative to traditional blood glucose monitoring, providing real-time data without the need for finger pricks.7
A recent National Science Review article reported the development of a bioinspired nanoscale material that mimics the light absorption properties of butterfly wings. This material has been used to enhance the performance of optical biosensors, enabling the detection of low-abundance biomarkers with high precision. This advancement has significant implications for early disease detection and personalized medicine.8
Future Prospects and Conclusions
Bioinspired materials show promise for wearable diagnostics and biosensors. As research advances, more sophisticated materials with improved performance, biocompatibility, and sustainability can be expected. These could include materials that dynamically adapt to changing physiological conditions, enabling personalized health monitoring and treatment.
Furthermore, integrating bioinspired materials with emerging technologies like AI and the Internet of Things could create smart, interconnected health monitoring systems. These systems could provide comprehensive health insights, enabling proactive healthcare management and better patient outcomes.
In conclusion, bioinspired materials are transforming wearable diagnostics and biosensors, offering innovative solutions. By mimicking natural systems, these materials enhance the functionality, durability, and biocompatibility of wearable devices, paving the way for more effective and sustainable healthcare. As research continues, the potential applications and benefits of bioinspired materials are substantial, promising a future of more personalized, efficient, and accessible healthcare.
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References and Further Reading
- Bardhan, N. M., Radisic, M., & Nurunnabi, M. (2023). Bioinspired Materials for Wearable Diagnostics and Biosensors. ACS Biomaterials Science & Engineering, 9(5). DOI: 10.1021/acsbiomaterials.3c00348
- Fan, Y., Hou, Y., Wang, M., Zheng, J., & Hou, X. (2022). Bioinspired carbon nanotube-based materials. Materials Advances, 3(7), 3070–3088. DOI: 10.1039/d2ma00086e
- Pillai, S., Upadhyay, A., Sayson, D., Nguyen, B. H., & Tran, S. D. (2021). Advances in Medical Wearable Biosensors: Design, Fabrication and Materials Strategies in Healthcare Monitoring. Molecules, 27(1), 165. DOI: 10.3390/molecules27010165
- Bharadwaj, S. K., Mujawar, M., Mishra, Y. K., Hickman, N., Chavali, M., & Kaushik, A. (2021). Bio-inspired graphene-based nano-systems for biomedical applications. Nanotechnology. DOI: 10.1088/1361-6528/ac1bdb
- Tripathy, A., Nine, M. J., Losic, D., & Silva, F. S. (2021). Nature inspired emerging sensing technology: Recent progress and perspectives. Materials Science and Engineering: R: Reports, 146, 100647. DOI: 10.1016/j.mser.2021.100647
- Nie, B., Liu, S., Qu, Q., Zhang, Y., Zhao, M., & Liu, J. (2021). Bio-inspired flexible electronics for smart E-skin. Acta Biomaterialia. DOI: 10.1016/j.actbio.2021.06.018
- Xu, J., Fang, Y., & Chen, J. (2021). Wearable Biosensors for Non-Invasive Sweat Diagnostics. Biosensors, 11(8), 245. DOI: 10.3390/bios11080245
- Osotsi, M. I., Zhang, W., Zada, I., Gu, J., Liu, Q., & Zhang, D. (2020). Butterfly wing architectures inspire sensor and energy applications. National Science Review. DOI: 10.1093/nsr/nwaa107
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