Wearable Patch Provides Up-To-The-Minute Readouts of Medication Levels in Body

Vancomycin is a powerful antibiotic used in hospitals to treat severe drug-resistant infections and life-threatening bloodstream infections. However, dosing the drug is notoriously difficult, as too little reduces its effectiveness while too much can cause acute kidney injury or even death, affecting up to 40% of patients. Current monitoring relies on repeated blood tests, which are invasive, slow, and often fail to provide clinicians with timely data. Researchers have now demonstrated a wearable solution that continuously tracks drug levels in the body, offering clinicians near real-time insight to guide safer and more effective treatment decisions.

Researchers at the University of New South Wales (UNSW, Sydney, Australia), in collaboration with diagnostics company Nutromics (Melbourne, Australia), have designed a minimally invasive wearable patch capable of measuring vancomycin levels in patients at five-minute intervals. The patch uses synthetic DNA-based sensors called aptamers, which bind to specific target molecules in the body. These sensors are integrated onto microneedles that painlessly sample fluid from just beneath the skin, providing continuous drug monitoring without the need for repeated blood draws.

The device was evaluated in a clinical trial that assessed its ability to safely and accurately measure vancomycin levels in hospital patients. Participants reported the patch to be nearly painless and significantly more comfortable than standard blood testing procedures. Results from the trial showed that the patch reliably delivered frequent, accurate drug measurements and addressed key scientific and safety challenges. The findings, published in Nature Biotechnology, confirm the feasibility of continuous therapeutic drug monitoring in clinical settings.

Real-time monitoring of vancomycin could help clinicians adjust doses quickly, reducing the risk of kidney injury while ensuring infections are treated effectively. Beyond antibiotics, the aptamer-based technology can be adapted to monitor other drugs, biomarkers, and disease states.

Researchers say the platform could eventually support faster diagnosis and treatment of conditions such as sepsis, as well as enable real-time monitoring in cardiology and emergency care. Trials are currently underway in intensive care units across Australia, with plans to pursue U.S. regulatory approval and expand the technology to additional clinical applications.

“This is such an exciting breakthrough,” said Scientia Professor Justin Gooding, who helped develop the tool. “It means we can monitor people on the timescales needed so we can make sure they get the best treatment, the most effective treatment, and the safest treatment.”

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