Japanese researchers develop enzyme incs for wearable sensors
In Japan, wearable sensors are rapidly advancing, becoming smaller yet more capable than ever of tracking physiological signals in real time. Recent studies have focused on developing skin patches that analyze sweat to monitor the concentration of important compounds, such as lactate and glucose. Sweat-based sensing is particularly attractive because it offers a noninvasive way to assess changes in metabolism. However, these devices require external batteries to function. Interestingly, to avoid relying on batteries, scientists have come up with self-powered alternatives. Enzymatic biofuel cells (EBFCs), which use enzymes as catalysts to convert chemicals in body fluids directly into electricity, are a prominent example.
Although EBFCs have shown promise in laboratory experiments, the main barrier to their widespread adoption boils down to limitations in manufacturing. Conventional EBFC fabrication requires multiple labor-intensive steps: printing a carbon electrode layer, separately drip-casting enzyme and mediator solutions onto the surface, and then drying. This process introduces significant variability between devices, making quality control difficult and mass production impractical.
Addressing this challenge, a research team led by the Department of Pure and Applied Chemistry, Tokyo University of Science (TUS), Japan, has developed water-based ‘enzyme inks’ that simplify EBFC fabrication into a single printing step. Their findings, published online in the journal ACS Applied Engineering Materials on February 06, 2026, demonstrate a practical pathway toward the mass-production of wearable biosensors.
Category: Research
