New graphene-based sensing system to detect cortisol stress hormone in sweat

Scientists at EPFL, in collaboration with startup Xsensio, have developed a graphene-enhanced wearable system that can continually measure the concentration of cortisol—the stress hormone—in human sweat. Their device can potentially help to better understand and treat stress-related conditions like burnout and obesity.

Schematic of extended-gate FET configuration used in this work. Image from article

The team developed a small wearable sensor that can be placed directly on a patient’s skin and can continually measure the concentration of cortisol, the main stress biomarker, in the patient’s sweat.