As a rule, tattoos are meant to reveal something important about yourself or to attract attention. A new development will allow you to track the most important indicators of human health.
Until now, electronic tattoos from human cells or from bacterial ink have been used for these purposes. Now, a traditional tattoo will be turned into biosensor systems that monitor main health parameters. The technology is based on colorimetry: the method of chemical analysis, which determines the concentration of substances according to the degree of color solutions. That is, the color of the permanent tattoo will change depending on changes in the blood level of certain substances.
To follow health dynamics, doctor and patient will observe the tone of the tattoo. First dangerous signals will allow to make tests in time and correct the treatment.
Biochemists have already experimented with pig skin: various dyes were injected through the epidermis into the dermis. It is in this layer that the ink of a classic tattoo gets. To create a tattoo sensor, a combination of dyes was used: phenolphthalein, bromthymol blue and methyl red. They are acid-baseline indicators, that is, organic compounds that change color with the change of acidity.
In the course of the experiment, tattoos on pig skin turned from yellow to blue, as soon as the pH reached 5 to 9 units. The rate of this indicator for human skin is 5.9. Over time, 2 more yellow sensors were created. One became dark green as the glucose level increased, another turned green when albumin level changed.
These indicators are extremely important: glucose – for patients with diabetes, albumin – for renal or hepatic failure. Tattoos can be read via a special smartphone app. It will be enough for the user to bring the smartphone camera to the tattoo, and the software will scan it revealing the result.
The authors of the project plan to upgrade their development by adding other biomarkers.
