VIDEO NEWS RELEASE: Can a sticker determine if you have cystic fibrosis?

University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa
Contact:
Marc Arakaki, (808) 228-3215
Content Producer, UH Communications
Posted: Mar 31, 2021


Healthy infant with cystic fibrosis “sweat sticker”
Healthy infant with cystic fibrosis “sweat sticker”

Link to video and sound (details below): https://bit.ly/31usrfE

WHAT: Led by a University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa College of Engineering professor, a team from UH Mānoa and Northwestern University created an innovative testing method for one of the most common life-shortening genetic disorders—cystic fibrosis. 

The concentration of chloride in sweat is the most robust biomarker for a positive diagnosis. Department of Mechanical Engineering Assistant Professor and lead author Tyler Ray and his team developed a soft, flexible, skin-like “sweat sticker” in sharp contrast to the current diagnostic technology, which uses a hard, rigid, wrist-strapped device. It softly adheres to the body using a gentle, skin-safe adhesive and collects 33% more sweat than the current clinical method. The sticker also uses built-in colorimetric sensors that detect and measure the chloride concentration using a smartphone camera in real-time. 

WHY: This new testing method could greatly improve accessibility to diagnostic testing for Hawai‘i residents. In Hawai‘i, a majority of the state’s residents lack access to an accredited cystic fibrosis center. Diagnostic sweat chloride testing is offered by the accredited cystic fibrosis clinic at Tripler Army Medical Center; however, this testing is not available to the general public. Rather, most diagnostic cystic fibrosis testing in Hawai‘i relies on the less specific sweat conductivity test or expensive genetic testing. Cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator gene analysis requires weeks to confirm a cystic fibrosis diagnosis resulting in the possible delayed initiation of life-saving treatment.

WHO: Tyler Ray, Department of Mechanical Engineering assistant professor

WHEN: Research and findings are published as the featured cover article in Science Translational Medicine on March 31.

WHERE: UH Mānoa

More about cystic fibrosis: Cystic fibrosis affects one out of every 3,300 births in the U.S. and a total of 70,000 people worldwide. Individuals with cystic fibrosis experience a wide range of symptoms including chronic pulmonary infection, loss of lung function and pancreatic insufficiency. Treatment plans are extremely complex, making an early diagnosis and management of its progression essential for patients.

All newborns in the U.S. are screened for cystic fibrosis within the first few days of life through a heel prick. If that screening is abnormal, pediatricians order a sweat test to confirm the diagnosis. During the sweat test, the baby must wear the hard, wrist-strapped device for up to 30 minutes, and sometimes smaller and younger babies have trouble producing enough sweat for the test. Other times, the loose, ill-fitting sweat-collection device is unable to collect a large enough sample. In these instances, the baby must repeat the test at a later date, inducing anxiety and delaying treatment.

Additional details: 

  • The colorimetric sensors on the sticker, which allows the measurement of chloride concentration using a smartphone camera, eliminates the need for expensive laboratory equipment and lengthy, emotionally-challenging wait times. 

  • The research team validated the sweat sticker in a clinical pilot study involving cystic fibrosis patients and health volunteers at the Cystic Fibrosis Center at the Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago. 

  • Ray began his research developing the “sweat sticker” as a postdoctoral researcher at Northwestern University prior to joining the faculty at UH Mānoa. 

  • Ray was recruited as the first faculty hire in the UH Mānoa College of Engineering in the field of biomedical engineering, a rapidly growing area of study that represents the nexus between engineering and health.

VIDEO BROLL: (1:17)

0:00-0:12 - images of the sweat sticker

0:12-0:18 - the sweat sticker on a healthy infant

0:18-0:23 - sweat sticker animation expand and collapse

0:23-0:36 - timelapse of the device filling up

0:36-0:53 - video of the sweat patch device

0:53-1:17 - lab shots of reseachers working with the device


SOUNDBITES:

Tyler Ray, UH Mānoa College of Engineering Assistant Professor

(:17)

“One of the key advantages of this device is the fact that it is soft and flexible. We’re very excited about the opportunity to have the ability to analyze chloride on the device itself using a smartphone rather than having to rely on central laboratory facilities in a hospital.”

(:21)

“The use of a soft, gentle, medical grade adhesive, allows us to interface with newborn or infant skin that is very fragile, easily, without risk of damaging that skin. It forms a watertight seal that allows us to collect sweat from the skin with near perfect efficiency.”