Smart patch eliminates the need for regular blood tests

No more weekly needles in your arm to check your health? Startup DXcrete, which originated at Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e), is developing the BEA: a semi-transparent patch that analyzes sweat and continuously monitors health. An innovation that can save millions of patients a lot of pain, time, and hassle.

The BEA uses electrowetting, a smart technology for moving tiny droplets of liquid. The device sends nanoliters of sweat (one drop of sweat contains about 10,000 - 50,000 nanoliters) to the built-in sensors. Even in people who hardly perspire, the patch can measure important physical data. The result is a constant stream of health data, without needles or urine samples.

“Sweat is 99 percent water, but that one percent contains a gold mine of information about your health,” says TU/e researcher and DXcrete founder Emma Moonen (28). "Until now, we always had to take blood or urine samples: cumbersome, unpleasant, and it only provides a snapshot. With our patch, we can measure pain more frequently and painlessly. That makes it much more reliable."

Breakthrough for kidney patients

The first application focuses on kidney patients, who currently need regular blood tests or submit urine samples to monitor kidney function. With the BEA, this can now be done painlessly and in real time. This enables faster intervention and can help prevent more intensive treatments, such as dialysis. Moonen: “Blood or urine samples are still needed to detect a condition, but after that, we can use the BEA to monitor its progress without having to take new samples every time.”

Emma Moonen, DXcrete © Bart van Overbeeke

DXcrete was co-founded by Dr. Emma Moonen (28), who received her PhD cum laude from TU/e. The company has previously received funding from NWO's Faculty of Impact, the medtech consortium from the Thematic Technology Transfer (TTT) scheme, and through the Interreg program, and is currently preparing preclinical studies.