DALLAS — University of Texas at Dallas bioengineers have an announced a breakthrough in early detection of COVID or the flu.
According to the university, bioengineers in collaboration with EnLisSense LLC have designed a wearable sensor that detects two key signs of a viral infection in human sweat, before the symptoms hit you.
Researchers said a test would still be needed to confirm what type of pathogen is causing a person’s illness.
“We have built a technology to unlock and explore the latest frontier in sweat diagnostics,” Dr. Shalini Prasad, head of bioengineering said in an interview with UT at Dallas Friday. “This sweat-based, wearable technology from EnLiSense is truly transformational in that it can measure and report human host response messenger molecules associated with inflammation and infection in a real-time and continuous manner.”
Researchers explained the sensor uses passive sweat, which means the person wearing it does not have to engage in physical activity. They studied 18 healthy people wearing the sensor and drew blood to compare results.
Researchers said the next step is to test the sensor in clinical studies using patients with respiratory infections.
