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How do we overcome the current limitations of bioelectronic sensors used in healthcare and medicine?

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  13 March 2023

Samit Chakrabarty*
Affiliation:
University of Leeds, UK
Daniel Chew
Affiliation:
Galvani Bioelectronics, UK
Amparo Güemes
Affiliation:
University of Cambridge, UK
Gerald Loeb
Affiliation:
University of Southern California, USA
Rajnish Sharma
Affiliation:
Chitkara University, India
Mohit Shivdasani
Affiliation:
University of New South Wales, Australia
Arun Sridhar
Affiliation:
Skraps, USA
Heyu Yin
Affiliation:
Columbia University, USA
*
Author for correspondence: Samit Chakrabarty, Email: s.chakrabarty@leeds.ac.uk
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Extract

There are several concerns with the use of bioelectronic sensors for healthcare applications, including:

  1. 1. Implantation: Bioelectronic sensors that are implanted into the body can cause discomfort, infection, and scarring, and they can also trigger an immune response that can affect their performance over time. This degradation of the sensor can be toxic to the body.

  2. 2. Power supply: Bioelectronic sensors often require a power source to operate, which can be a challenge for devices especially those that are implanted inside the body. If at all, bioelectronic sensors must draw power, then it must be at a minimum possible.

  3. 3. Data security: Bioelectronic sensors can generate sensitive medical information, which must be protected from unauthorized access, hacking, or data breaches.

  4. 4. Performance: Bioelectronic sensors must be highly accurate and reliable, as even small errors in readings can have significant consequences for patient health.

  5. 5. Interoperability: Bioelectronic sensors must be able to work seamlessly with other medical devices and software, to enable the exchange and analysis of data.

  6. 6. Cost: Bioelectronic sensors can be expensive, both to manufacture and to maintain, which can limit their accessibility and affordability for patients.

  7. 7. Regulatory approval: Bioelectronic sensors must be approved by regulatory agencies such as the FDA, which can be a lengthy and complex process that requires extensive testing and data analysis.

  8. 8. Designing good bioelectronic sensors remains a challenge due to unavailability of necessary circuit simulation tools. Software currently available may be good for normal electronic circuits, but design of any bioelectronic circuit is different and challenging. Proposed solutions must show that value addition.

Type
Question
Creative Commons
Creative Common License - CCCreative Common License - BY
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution licence (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted re-use, distribution and reproduction, provided the original article is properly cited.
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2023. Published by Cambridge University Press

Context

There are several concerns with the use of bioelectronic sensors for healthcare applications, including:

  1. 1. Implantation: Bioelectronic sensors that are implanted into the body can cause discomfort, infection, and scarring, and they can also trigger an immune response that can affect their performance over time. This degradation of the sensor can be toxic to the body.

  2. 2. Power supply: Bioelectronic sensors often require a power source to operate, which can be a challenge for devices especially those that are implanted inside the body. If at all, bioelectronic sensors must draw power, then it must be at a minimum possible.

  3. 3. Data security: Bioelectronic sensors can generate sensitive medical information, which must be protected from unauthorized access, hacking, or data breaches.

  4. 4. Performance: Bioelectronic sensors must be highly accurate and reliable, as even small errors in readings can have significant consequences for patient health.

  5. 5. Interoperability: Bioelectronic sensors must be able to work seamlessly with other medical devices and software, to enable the exchange and analysis of data.

  6. 6. Cost: Bioelectronic sensors can be expensive, both to manufacture and to maintain, which can limit their accessibility and affordability for patients.

  7. 7. Regulatory approval: Bioelectronic sensors must be approved by regulatory agencies such as the FDA, which can be a lengthy and complex process that requires extensive testing and data analysis.

  8. 8. Designing good bioelectronic sensors remains a challenge due to unavailability of necessary circuit simulation tools. Software currently available may be good for normal electronic circuits, but design of any bioelectronic circuit is different and challenging. Proposed solutions must show that value addition.

We are challenging the community to address these concerns and offer viable solutions to ensure the safety and effectiveness of bioelectronic sensors for healthcare applications and to enable their widespread adoption and use in clinical settings.

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Competing interests

The author(s) declare none.

Footnotes

All authors contributed equally to the formulation of this question.