Smart ring for controlling female hormones

2023: Product Announcement

In late November 2023, American researchers at the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena announced the development of a smart ring to monitor the estradiol hormone in human sweat. This non-invasive technology is expected to help track fertility and female health outcomes.

Usually, a blood test in the laboratory is used to assess the level of hormones in the body. Most often, a clinic visit is required to submit samples. But this method is invasive and takes a lot of time. Despite the fact that blood testing remains the gold standard, experts are increasingly paying attention to the medical information that can be obtained when analyzing other body fluids, in particular sweat.

Smart ring for monitoring estradiol hormone content in human sweat

Project participants say sweat contains clinically relevant biomarkers, but at extremely low concentrations. However, as of the end of November 2023, there are no sensors or wearable devices specifically aimed at reproductive sweat hormones. The new development just solves this problem. Whereas most biosensors use antibodies or enzymes to target proteins, the proposed technology relies on aptamers - short fragments of single-stranded DNA or RNA that specifically bind to certain target molecules. Aptamers can be chemically synthesized.

For their estradiol sensor, the researchers applied a two-layer design. One of the layers is a special interface seeded with aptamers that recognize estradiol. The second layer is a gold nanoparticle electrode coated with a material called MXene that amplifies weak electrical signals. Single-stranded DNA labeled with methylene blue dye, which serves as an electrochemical probe, is embedded in the aptamers.

When placed on a finger, the biosensor generates a small current that stimulates the production of sweat, which enters a tiny reservoir. Aptamers then exchange DNA strands labeled with methylene blue for estradiol. After that, final measurements of indicators are made at the electrode. The smart ring also contains sensors to monitor skin temperature, pH and salt concentration. The collected data can be transmitted to a smartphone.^[1]

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