Wearable sensors that use microneedles to painlessly take samples at skin level could help personalize health care and enable precision drug dosing in real time, but many have been limited by weak signals and damage caused by friction in tissue.

A UCLA-led team developed a microneedle platform that operated continuously for six days in rats while improving signal quality and resistance to abrasion.

In preclinical studies, the technology not only tracked drug levels but also revealed impaired kidney and liver function based on how quickly drugs cleared from the animals’ systems — including identifying early kidney injury before conventional blood tests indicated a problem.

New research from USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center, part of Keck Medicine of USC, suggests that eating fruits, vegetables and whole grains may increase chance of early onset lung cancer.