Wearable sweat sensor for personalized nutrition in cystic fibrosis
An Autonomous, Non-invasive, and Bioanalytics-enabled Wearable Platform for Precision Nutrition and Personalized Medicine
This project builds a non‑invasive wearable that reads nutrients and biomarkers from sweat to help people with cystic fibrosis get more personalized nutrition and care.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of California Los Angeles NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Los Angeles, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11180497 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
You would wear a small, non‑invasive patch that collects and analyzes your sweat throughout the day. The device is being designed to measure glucose, triglycerides, beta‑hydroxybutyrate, and supporting signals like sodium, chloride, pH, and sweat rate while using on‑board analytics to correct readings. Engineers will develop sensors, fluid handling, autonomous sweat‑secretion control, and algorithms to turn sweat measurements into meaningful metabolic information. The team is focusing on cystic fibrosis so the data could be used to tailor individualized nutritional support and track metabolic state over time.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal candidates are people with cystic fibrosis who can produce sweat and are willing to wear a sensor and attend clinic visits for device fitting and testing.
Not a fit: People who cannot produce sweat (anhidrosis), who have skin conditions that prevent wearing a patch, or who need immediate medical interventions rather than monitoring are unlikely to benefit from participation.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the technology could allow people with CF and their clinicians to monitor nutrition and metabolic status more easily and tailor dietary support in real time.
How similar studies have performed: Previous work has shown sweat sensors can measure salts and some metabolites like glucose, but integrating nutrient markers such as triglycerides and beta‑hydroxybutyrate with autonomous sweat control is largely novel and only partially validated.
Where this research is happening
Los Angeles, United States
- University of California Los Angeles — Los Angeles, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Emaminejad, Sam — University of California Los Angeles
- Study coordinator: Emaminejad, Sam
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.