Project Reference: TRG27-ENG-SS2

Project title: Wearable Microneedle Sensors for Continuous Electrolyte Monitoring

Project outline

Electrolyte concentrations are critical indicators of physiological homeostasis, yet they are currently measured predominantly through intermittent blood sampling. This limits continuous monitoring of patients susceptible to rapid electrolyte disturbances, including those with cardiovascular and kidney disease, endocrine disorders, and critically ill patients. This project aims to develop a wearable microneedle-based sensor platform for continuous electrolyte monitoring from interstitial fluid (ISF).

The research will combine electrochemical ion-selective sensing, minimally invasive microneedles, low-power electronics, wireless communication, and intelligent signal processing to enable continuous measurement of physiologically important electrolytes. Initial research will focus on sodium before expanding towards multiplexed monitoring of potassium, chloride, and pH.

A key scientific challenge is obtaining accurate long-term measurements despite sensor drift, biofouling, environmental variation, and potential differences between ISF and blood electrolyte concentrations. The project will therefore investigate computational calibration and compensation techniques alongside sensor and electronic interface development.

The resulting sensors will ultimately be integrated with miniaturised low-power electronics and wireless communication to create a wearable patch capable of continuous physiological monitoring. The project will establish new sensing technologies at the interface of electrochemistry, electronics, data science, and medicine, with the long-term goal of enabling continuous electrolyte monitoring analogous to the transformation achieved by continuous glucose monitoring.

Principal Supervisor

Professor Saransh Sharma

Email address: ss3442@cam.ac.uk

Department / Partner Institute: Engineering

Website: https://elec.eng.cam.ac.uk/team/dr-saransh-sharma/

BBSRC strategic theme

Bioscience for an integrated understanding of health