Researchers have developed a self-powered microneedle patch to monitor a range of health biomarkers without drawing blood or relying on batteries or external devices. In proof-of-concept testing with synthetic skin, the researchers demonstrated that the patches could collect biomarker samples over periods ranging from 15 minutes to 24 hours.

While antioxidants generally promote health, researchers have learned that under certain conditions some antioxidants operating within cellular compartments can fuel the spread of cancer. New work demonstrates how one antioxidant inside particular cellular compartments, the mitochondrial metabolite glutathione, helps cancer cells metastasize throughout the body by enabling their survival under low-oxygen conditions. These findings suggest that therapies capable of blocking glutathione transport into organelles within the cell could help treat breast cancer.

Inspired by the serrated stinger of a honeybee,  a new microneedle platform was developed in International Journal of Extreme Manufacturing (IF: 21.3) to combine drug delivery, electrical stimulation, and continuous monitoring in a single, wearable system. This platform tackles one of the toughest problems in modern medicine: diabetic wound healing.