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Advances in microneedles for transdermal diagnostics and sensing applications

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Abstract

Microneedles, the miniaturized needles, which can pierce the skin with minimal invasiveness open up new possibilities for constructing personalized Point-of-Care (POC) diagnostic platforms. Recent advances in microneedle-based POC diagnostic systems, especially their successful implementation with wearable technologies, enable biochemical detection and physiological recordings in a user-friendly manner. This review presents an overview of the current advances in microneedle-based sensor devices, with emphasis on the biological basis of transdermal sensing, fabrication, and application of different types of microneedles, and a summary of microneedle devices based on various sensing strategies. It concludes with the challenges and future prospects of this swiftly growing field. The aim is to present a critical and thorough analysis of the state-of-the-art development of transdermal diagnostics and sensing devices based on microneedles, and to bridge the gap between microneedle technology and pragmatic applications.

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Acknowledgements

This paper is dedicated to the memory of Otto S. Wolfbeis. This work is supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (22174082, 22374085), the Key Research and Development Program of Shandong Province (2021ZDSYS30), and the Science and Technology Benefiting the People Project of Qingdao (20-3-4-53-nsh).

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Wang, L., Wang, Y., Wu, X. et al. Advances in microneedles for transdermal diagnostics and sensing applications. Microchim Acta 191, 406 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00604-024-06458-2

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