BACKGROUND
SeptiTect aims to address the issue of sepsis development within chemotherapy patients, who are 10 times more likely to contract these infections due to factors like frequent needle usage. Our product can help detect the early symptoms, saving both lives, materials and costs over time.​
CANCER
Cancer is a chronic disease originating from cell dysfunction. Due to errors in cell division, certain cells may grow and divide uncontrollably, leading to malignant masses known to us as tumours and impacting the health of an individual. There are approximately 18 million cancer patients diagnosed yearly, an estimate which increases with the growing population. Of these, roughly 10 million individuals die per year, meaning cancer is one of the forefront issues within healthcare to treat. SeptiTect combats one of the many side-effects linked to these immunosuppressed patients when undergoing chemotherapy and can help even marginally improve their quality of life.
SEPSIS
Sepsis, also referred to as blood poisoning, is a dangerous systemic hyper-reaction to an infection that occurs when bacteria enter the bloodstream, whereby the immune system is overactivated to such an extent that it begins to attack the body’s own organs, eventually leading to multiple organ failure. There are 3 distinct stages, beginning with septicaemia (or early sepsis), progressing to severe sepsis and eventually septic shock. Septic shock is an extremely dangerous condition, characterised by extreme hypotension and severe organ dysfunction, with a 30-50% mortality rate.
Carson Bruns, one of the leading researchers looking into using smart tattoos to monitor UV exposure
CURRENT RESEARCH
Smart Tattoos and UV Exposure
Butterfield et al. (2020) have been looking into tattoos with UV sensing molecular machines in plastic shells in the past years, which then get injected into dermis of skin to monitor UV exposure. The tattoo functions via a molecular switch, where the absorption of UV photon absorption causes structural change of the molecules contained in the tattoos, causing the tattoo to turn from colourless into blue. With increased exposure to the sun or other UV-sources, the tattoo will also become bluer, giving a quantitative estimate of UV exposure. With declining UV photon exposure, the tattoo will then revert to being colourless again.​​
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Smart Tattoos and Glucose Monitoring
Research groups like Yetisen et al. (2019) and Meetoo et al. (2019) are further looking into tattoos as a tool to monitor glucose levels and hydration status of individuals Here, the tattoo interacts with biomarkers in interstitial fluid or extracellular matrix, through which it can give quantitative information about the body condition.
Glucose oxidase oxidises glucose to form hydrogen peroxide, which then oxidises tetramethylbenzidine, creating a blue-green molecule that is visible to the naked eye. A smartphone can then evaluate the colour and provides quantitative information. A portable device with optical filters, such as as the smartphone, is required to read these information
As a hydration sensor, the tattoo monitors the body without undergoing visible changes. Instead, it fluoresces in the presence of electrolytes, which gets detected by crown ether groups that act as sensing molecules (e.g. via pH measurement, capturing photons) and fluoresce when multiple ions bind to it. ​