A “smart” approach to monitoring drug levels in real-time

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, many physicians having been looking to leverage smart technology to help monitor and track the health of their patients – and a new option may be on the horizon!

Engineers and researchers at the University of California Los Angeles have developed a custom smartwatch capable of tracking drug levels within the body in real-time by analyzing the chemicals found in a patient’s sweat. This wearable technology can accurately detect a drug's unique electrochemical signal against the backdrop of signals from many other molecules that may be circulating in the body.

In general, medications are prescribed with a “one-size-fits-all” approach based and current efforts to personalize drug dosage rely heavily on repeated blood draws, which can be inconvenient, time-consuming and invasive. Researchers hope this new technology could be incorporated into a more personalized approach to medicine and allow physicians to better monitor medication adherence and drug abuse.