Biomonitoring with biosensors

An ageing population means that more and more people will need care. At the same time, staff shortages in the care sector continue to grow. According to the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport (VWS), the staff shortage will reach 135,000 care professionals by 2031. According to some estimates, by 2040, one in four working people will have to work in the care sector to meet all anticipated care demands.

One way to counter these shortages is to offer more home care. Point-of-Care technology can help with this. Point-of-Care technology includes tests or measurements that can be performed directly on the patient and sometimes by the patient themselves. An example of this is self-testing during corona pandemics. Improved and frequent monitoring of patients, as exemplified by diabetes patients, has been shown to have a significant impact on patient well-being. This applies not only to monitoring disease conditions, but also to promoting a healthy lifestyle.

The main goal of this project is to develop new, advanced solutions for biomonitoring. These solutions are based on breakthrough platform technology that combines micro(bio)sensors and microfluidics (liquids and gases at the micrometer scale). In other words, we aim to monitor biomarkers using sensors and biological fluids in the body. With the knowledge acquired in this project, the following medical devices can be developed for both clinical practice and home care:

• Point-of-care devices (rapid tests) for non-frequent measurements
• Biomonitoring devices for intensive monitoring

The project will develop functional prototypes for point-of-care and biomonitoring devices. For this purpose, it uses technology previously developed by one of the partners, ParaMedir. In this project, the current technology is extended to handle new biological fluids and biomarkers. To this end, new microelectrodes and microbiosensors are developed.We will also explore how they can be integrated into a single device. The device is made with biocompatible, durable materials and using 3D printing technologies. Finally, this technology is optimised to better suit home care applications.

By the end of this project, the partners have tested the prototypes in real-world scenarios. The end result is a set of functional prototypes for biomarker monitoring and a cloud-based application that gives healthcare professionals remote access to real-time data.

With this technology, healthcare workers can monitor their patients more easily and remotely. In addition, patients can monitor themselves, adjust their lifestyle, and seek help in time. These factors can ensure that patients with a (chronic) illness older people can live independently at home for longer, and have better insight into their own health.

In addition, the project also has a positive impact in terms of sustainability. The biomonitoring devices being developed have a smaller carbon footprint than current biomonitoring options. This is partly because point-of-care self-tests are a lot smaller than current bioanalytical devices. They are portable, and have a smaller carbon footprint in terms of transportation. 

Several valorisation projects are launched after the completion of this project. Each of the concepts validated in the project will be further developed into a new, innovative product that meets the needs of end users. The products have the potential to boost the overall efficiency of the regional healthcare system and provide huge cost savings.

Finally, the project will improve the Northern Netherlands' position in healthcare and innovation. Together, the project partners form an innovative network, and can make an important contribution to the region's ecosystem through knowledge sharing. In addition, the partners will regularly involve healthcare providers from the region in meetings to promote knowledge exchange.