Chronic kidney disease (CKD) and acute kidney injury (AKI) are significant global health concerns, affecting millions of people worldwide. These conditions are often diagnosed late, resulting in high morbidity and mortality rates, as well as placing a substantial burden on healthcare systems. Traditional methods for monitoring kidney function rely on invasive blood tests and urine analysis, which are not only uncomfortable for patients but also require frequent hospital visits, making continuous monitoring challenging. There is an urgent need for innovative solutions that enable non-invasive, real-time monitoring of kidney health, particularly for high-risk populations such as the elderly, diabetics, and those with cardiovascular conditions.
The KERMIT project aims to address these challenges by developing a fully integrated, non-invasive point-of-care (PoC) device capable of continuously monitoring key kidney function biomarkers—urea, creatinine, and cystatin C—in sweat. By leveraging advances in microfluidics, printed electronics, and wireless communication, the project seeks to create a wearable patch that can provide real-time data on kidney health, thereby enabling early diagnosis, proactive treatment, and better disease management. This approach has the potential to significantly reduce the burden on healthcare systems, lower treatment costs, and improve the quality of life for patients by minimizing the need for hospital visits and invasive tests.
The project’s main objectives are to:
1. Create a reference base for remote diagnosis by correlating sweat biomarkers with those in blood, enabling accurate, non-invasive monitoring of CKD and AKI.
2. Develop reliable electrochemical sensing mechanisms for detecting kidney disease biomarkers with high sensitivity and specificity, minimizing false positives through multi-analyte detection.
3. Produce a versatile, wireless skin patch that integrates sensors, a low-power analysis chip, and wireless data transmission to enable seamless integration into patients' daily lives.
The KERMIT patch will integrate sensing, energy storage, communication, and microfluidic modules on biocompatible substrates, ensuring reliable operation under real-world conditions. The project also aims to involve patients and healthcare professionals throughout the development process to ensure the device meets practical needs and user expectations. The expected impacts include not only improved patient outcomes and reduced healthcare costs but also contributions to a more sustainable healthcare model by minimizing medical waste and the carbon footprint associated with traditional diagnostic methods.
