Researchers at the UCLA Samueli School of Engineering and the Stanford School of Medicine have developed a smartwatch that uses electrochemical analysis to track levels of a drug in the body by analyzing a patient’s sweat. The system could help with finding the correct drug and dose for a given patient in order to maximize therapeutic potential and avoid side-effects.

At present, most drugs are prescribed based on standard guidelines and can be tailored based on parameters such as age and weight, but this rarely includes any additional personalization. However, there are dramatic differences in how people respond to different drugs. A large part of this difference is down to how much of a drug is present in the circulation over time, with inter-individual differences in pharmacokinetics being responsible.

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Published via Medgadget, August 12th 2020