Sugar-Powered Sensor Could Detect Disease.

• Position: DIAGNOSIS

An implantable, biofuel-powered sensor that runs on sugar and can monitor a body's biological signals to detect, prevent, and diagnose diseases has been developed by researchers at Washington State University, Pullman.

A cross-disciplinary research team, led by Subhanshu Gupta, assistant professor in the School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, developed the unique sensor, which, enabled by a biofuel cell, harvests glucose from body fluids to run.

'The human body carries a lot of fuel in its bodily fluids through blood glucose or lactate around the skin and mouth," says Gupta. "Using a biofuel cell opens the door to using the body as potential fuel."

Many sensors for disease detection either are watches, which need to be recharged, or patches that are worn on the skin, which are superficial and cannot be embedded.

The electronics in the sensor use state-of-the-art design and fabrication to consume only a few microwatts of power while being highly sensitive. Coupling these electronics with the biofuel cell makes them more...