This smart device based on a paper battery can be used for an easier diagnosis of cystic fibrosis. Photo: IMB-CNM-CSICWhen the patch is placed on the patient's skin, it gets in contact with the sweat, which triggers the electrochemical reaction of the electrodes. Depending on the conductivity of the sweat, it generates more or less power. If the sweat is more conductive (because it has more salt), the device generates more power; on the contrary, less salt means less conductivity and therefore less power.
The device has a transistor, two diodes, two resistances and two small screens. If the result is false, only one screen turns on. If the result is positive for cystic fibrosis, the two screens turn on.
Cystic fibrosis is a rare disease. In Europe, nearly 2.500 people are affected by it, according to the Spanish Federation of Cystic Fibrosis. It is a genetic disorder that causes infections and inflammations in lungs, liver, pancreas and reproductive system. Usually it is diagnosed by a sweat analysis, as one of the disease characteristics is that produces an unusually salty sweat.
"This device doesn’t depend on any energy source, it is very easy to use and its cost is low. All together would give many hospitals and health centres an easy tool to diagnose cystic fibrosis, avoiding expensive tools”, says Joan Pau Esquivel, a CSIC scientist at the l'Institut de Microelectrònica de Barcelona (IMB-CNM) in Barcelona.
This device doesn’t depend on any energy source, it is very easy to use and its cost is low
Neus Sabaté, ICREA professor and main investigator of this project says they are studying the viability of this device for other uses, such as the sweat analysis for professional athletes or the salinity level in water.
This research has been developed within the project ERC Consolidator Grant Supercell, aimed at obtaining fuel-cells and paper-based batteries for a new generation of autonomous and ecological diagnostic devices.
The device has been awarded as the 2018 Best prototype, by the Organic and Printed Electronics Association. It has been patented and now the scientific team keeps working on the clinical validation of the device and its transfer to the market. The same team did create in 2015 the company Fuelium SL, a spin-off aimed at developing paper based batteries for single-use electronic devices which can be disposed of with no need of recycling.
Contact:
Isabel Gavilanes-Pérez, PhD.
Deputy Vice-Presidency for
Knowledge Transfer.
Spanish National Research Council
(CSIC)
Tel.: +34 – 93 594 77 00
A smart ‘patch’ enables an easy diagnosis of cystic fibrosis
A team led by CSIC scientists at the Institut de Microelectrònica de Barcelona (IMB-CNM), has developed a smart device based on a paper battery, which can be used for an easier diagnosis of cystic fibrosis. The device size is 8 per 4 centimetres, looks like a plaster or a patch and includes the sensing device and the energy source.
When the patch is placed on the skin of a patient gets in contact with the sweat, which triggers the electrochemical reaction of the electrodes. Depending on the conductivity of the sweat, it generates more or less power. If the sweat is more conductive (because has more salts), the device generates more power; on the contrary, less salt means less conductivity and therefore less power.
The device has a transistor, two diodes, two resistances and two small screens. If the result is false, only one screen turns on. If the result is positive for cystic fibrosis, the two screens turn on.
Cystic fibrosis is a rare disease. In Europe, nearly 2.500 people are affected by it, according to the Spanish Federation of Cystic Fibrosis. It is a genetic disorder that causes infections and inflammations in lungs, liver, pancreas and reproductive system. Usually it is diagnosed by a sweat analysis, as one of the disease characteristics is that produces an unusually salty sweat.
"This device doesn’t depend on any energy source, it is very easy to use and its cost is low. All together would give many hospitals and health centres an easy tool to diagnose cystic fibrosis, avoiding expensive tools”, says Joan Pau Esquivel, a CSIC scientist at the l'Institut de Microelectrònica de Barcelona.
Neus Sabaté, ICREA professor and main investigator of this project says they are studying the viability of this device for other uses, such as the sweat analysis for professional athletes or the salinity level in water.
This research has been developed within the project ERC Consolidator Grant Supercell, aimed at obtaining fuel-cells and paper-based batteries for a new generation of autonomous and ecological diagnostic devices.
The device has been awarded as the 2018 Best prototype, by the Organic and Printed Electronics Association. It has been patented and now the scientific team keeps working on the clinical validation of the device and its transfer to the market. The same team did create in 2015 the company Fuelium SL, a spin-off aimed at developing paper based batteries for single-use electronic devices which can be disposed of with no need of recycling.