WEARABLE SMART PATCH COULD DELIVER AUTOMATIC AID DURING A FENTANYL OVERDOSE

BLACKSBURG, Va., Aug. 13 -- Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University issued the following news release:

A patch smaller than a penny could one day save the lives of people experiencing a fentanyl overdose - even when no one else is there to help.

Researchers in VirginiaTech'sDepartment of Biological Systems Engineeringhave developed a wearable microneedle patch that can detect fentanyl in the body and automatically release naloxone, a medication that can reverse an opioid overdose. The technology could change how opioid overdoses are treatedbymaking lifesaving intervention possible without relying on a bystander.

Thepatch, called theiNalpatch, was developed by a research team led byWujin Sun, assistant professor of biological ...