Revolutionary Early Disease Detection: Skin-Based Interstitial Fluid Monitoring Promises Improved Health Outcomes

According to Nature Biomedical Engineering and Science Daily, the University of Cincinnati biomedical engineers has lauded the interstitial fluid between and around cells, tissues, and organs as a possible medium for early sickness diagnosis or long-term health monitoring.  

Having easy access to diagnostic fluid is beneficial. Mark Friedel, a UC Berkeley scientist and research participant, commented on the difficulty of getting continuous blood measurements. Researchers are investigating a variety of approaches for measuring people’s health. Sweat contains chemicals such as cortisol that can be used to gauge mental and emotional states such as stress and concern.   

Friedel noted that the human body is parsimonious with substances that aren’t simply removed by perspiration. Sweat glands, he claims, act as giant filters that remove pollutants. Everything nowadays comes down to a blood test. Interstitial fluid accounts for around 15 liters, or about 15%, of a person’s total body mass.

” The most important element of blood is our intimate familiarity with it,” Friedel says. “We know exactly what will happen to their heart and liver if anything is discovered in their blood,” he added.  

The study’s authors believe that interstitial fluid can be used in place of blood in costly and time-consuming laboratory procedures because the two share many of the same components at about equal levels. This article goes through the methods for collecting interstitial fluid samples, such as skin suctioning and micro dialysis.  

Stanford University professor and professional writer Ian Thompson, a biomedical engineer, remarked, “one of our primary goals is to help folks better maintain their health by making testing more accessible.” 

Modern diagnostic procedures sometimes include the extraction of blood, which can be an unpleasant experience for some people. In recent years, taking a sample of the interstitial fluid right beneath the skin has become routine.

Interstitial fluid includes hormones and other compounds that students in Professor Jason Heikenfeld’s Novel Devices Lab at the University of California, Berkeley, are investigating. A microneedle is a needle smaller than one millimeter in diameter and is used to pierce the skin.  

Friedel believes that microneedles are unlikely to retrieve anything larger than a splinter. They are entirely safe in the majority of circumstances. However, Friedel claims that the human body understands even if the mind does not. A detailed response like that might have an impact on the exam outcomes.  

Interstitial fluid might be used to demonstrate Schrödinger’s observer effect. “When collecting and classifying fluids, always change the fluid itself,” Friedel said. The body’s secretion of inflammatory substances in response to a pinprick may skew test findings.

Continuous biomonitoring requires people to know such concentrations as they arise between hypodermic needle pricks. Due to the considerable difficulties in handling, glucose monitoring fluid has been restricted to this one use.  

Despite a lack of research, interstitial fluid has been praised as a promising biomarker for wearable health monitoring systems. As a result, this might aid in early illness detection and treatment efficacy monitoring for the appropriate dose.