CHAPTER 03 Beyond “Wearable” Micro/Nano-Scale Bio-Sensors for Selected Applications in Healthcare

This seminar showcases the results of two research projects both involving micro/nano-scale bio-sensors and both located on the periphery of wearable technologies. The first part of the seminar reports on some aspects of a large multidisciplinary project funded by an EPSRC Programme Grant entitled Implantable Microsystems for Personalised Anti-Cancer Therapy, EP/K034510/1 (https://www.impact.eng.ed.ac.uk/home). Miniature sensors have been developed for implantation to measure oxygen and pH in solid tumours in order to assist with optimisation of the delivery of radiotherapy. The sensors have been shown to function successfully in sheep with lung cancer. The latter part of the seminar describes substantial progress towards a sensing continuous capability integrated in a smart electrochemical contact lens that will allow non-invasive monitoring of biomarkers that may otherwise require to be measured in blood. A real-time “video” shows high concentration fluid flowing through a model eye with the ESCL measuring varying concentration at each electrodes over time. Input, flow and drainage of an incoming higher concentration fluid can be seen. This research constitutes part of a PhD project within the EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training in Intelligent Sensing and Measurement, EP/L016753/1.