KERMIT

KERMIT’s aim is to develop a scalable platform for sweat-based sensorics to serve as a base for unobtrusive point-of-care diagnostics of kidney disease, transferable to other diseases. This can be done via integration of multiple analyte sensors with a sweat collection system, a low-power analysis and wireless data transmission chip into a simple-to-use disposable on-skin patch. The patch could then be prescribed by doctors and easily applied by patients to screen at-risk populations and monitor chronic diseases remotely.

The highlight features of KERMIT are the simplification of supporting electronics to a single chip and the use of environmentally friendly printable materials, facilitating its adaptation for low-cost mass manufacturing. The ease-of-access in combination with simplified patient-oriented usage protocols will facilitate the transition from a reactive testing model to a preventive monitoring approach.

The three main objectives for this project are:

• Creating a reference base for remote diagnosis based on the relationship between biomarkers in sweat, biomarkers in blood, and kidney disease.
• Providing reliable electrochemical sensing mechanisms for kidney disease biomarkers realized on printed sensors minimizing false positives via multi-analyte detection.
• Devising a low cost and versatile patch for unobtrusive measurements of biomarkers, designed to be seamlessly integrated into patients’ lives.