Non-Invasive Sampling of Immune Cells Using Microneedles 1
Non-Invasive Sampling of Immune Cells Using Microneedles 1
Sasan Jalili, Ryan Hosn, David Mankus, Abigail Lytton- Jean, Paula Hammond, Darrell J Irvine
Koch Institute at MIT
We have developed microneedle (MN) skin patches to sample interstitial fluid (ISF) and cells to elucidate tissue-resident immune responses to infectious diseases in a cost-effective, noninvasive manner which is otherwise impossible to understand using conventional approaches such as blood draws. Unlike other conventional microneedle platforms that aim to deliver drugs, vaccines or antigens to the skin, out microneedle collect the cells and biomarkers from the skin. This patch works like a smart band-aid that can monitor what happens in your tissues and be used to diagnose infectious diseases (e.g. Tuberculosis), autoimmunity (e.g. psoriasis, lupus, vitiligo) and cancer (e.g. ovarian cancer). I picked purple color specifically to represent gender equality and women health.