Wrist-worn wearable spots signs of IBD

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Researchers have designed a wearable device that monitors sweat for biomarkers that could signal flare-ups of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). 

Bioengineers at the University of Texas at Dallas demonstrated the wristwatch-like device in a proof-of-concept study funded by the Crohn's & Colitis Foundation and published in Inflammatory Bowel Diseases.

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A sensor in the device detects and quantifies the presence of interleukin-1β and C-reactive protein (CRP), which are two key biomarkers associated with IBD. The study is said to be the first to establish that CRP is present in human sweat and the first to show that the two biomarkers can be detected in sweat.

Dr. Shalini Prasad, department head and professor of bioengineering in the Erik Jonsson School of Engineering and Computer Science and the study's principal investigator, said the technology could provide a warning but not a diagnosis of inflammatory bowel disease. The goal of the work is to develop a device to help patients gain more control over IBD, which can be unpredictable.

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