Northwestern Medicine recently profiled a new wireless, wearable sweat patch designed to improve treatment and monitoring for individuals with cystic fibrosis. Developed by Northwestern scientists in collaboration with Epicore Biosystems, the device measures sweat biomarkers with accuracy comparable to standard laboratory testing.
Cystic fibrosis is a genetic disease affecting more than 40,000 people in the U.S., leading to excess mucus, impaired lung function, and digestive complications. Sweat chloride testing has long been the gold standard for diagnosis, but these tests require specialized laboratories and equipment. The newly developed “CF Patch” offers a portable, non-invasive alternative, capable of capturing both sweat volume and chloride levels directly from the wrist. Physicians can analyze results with a smartphone or tablet, offering potential for more flexible monitoring.
In a recent study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the CF Patch was tested with 20 adults with cystic fibrosis and seven healthy participants. Results demonstrated that the device provided sweat chloride measurements on par with traditional lab-based methods. Researchers believe this breakthrough could help optimize use of CFTR modulator therapies, which improve protein function and reduce chloride levels, by giving clinicians better visibility into daily variability.
Beyond clinical accuracy, the device could expand access to testing and treatment. Investigators noted the potential to deploy the patch in rural areas and low-resource settings where laboratory sweat testing is not available, helping expedite diagnosis and support ongoing care worldwide.
The collaboration underscores Epicore Biosystems’ expertise in biosensor development and the growing role of wearable technologies in healthcare. With additional research underway, the CF Patch represents a step toward more personalized, accessible cystic fibrosis management.