New smart threads ‘offer considerable diagnostic potential’

Engineers have developed a new method of incorporating nanoscale sensors, electronics and microfluidics into threads, opening the door for numerous diagnostic applications.

The Tufts University team used a variety of conductive threads dipped in physical and chemical-sensing compounds, before being connected to wireless electronic circuitry. This created a flexible platform with the ability to be sutured through multiple layers of tissue.

This method can be applied to all sorts of different types of thread, from simple cotton to sophisticated synthetics, and the resulting smart threads can be sutured to conform to the shape of complex structures such as organs, wounds or orthopaedic implants.

Research using rats showed that it was possible to use the threads to monitor data on tissue health, pH and glucose levels, with results transmitted wirelessly to a smartphone or computer.

Dr Sameer Sonkusale, director of the interdisciplinary Nano Lab in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Tufts University's School of Engineering, said: "We think thread-based devices could potentially be used as smart sutures for surgical implants, smart bandages to monitor wound healing, or integrated with textile or fabric as personalised health monitors and point-of-care diagnostics."