Illicit drug consumption constitutes a great concern worldwide due to its increased spread and abuse, and the negative consequences exerted on society. For instance, 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), a synthetic amphetamine-type substance, was abused by 20 million people worldwide in 2020. Besides, MDMA has been used in the treatment of some psychiatric conditions.
Therefore, the development of wearable devices for MDMA sensing in biological fluids is of great importance for forensic toxicology (e.g., monitoring of patients with suspected or known MDMA consumption) as well as for therapeutic management of patients. Herein, the development of a wearable electrochemical platform based on a hollow microneedle (MN) array sensor for the monitoring of MDMA in the interstitial fluid by square-wave voltammetry is reported.
The obtained MN sensor exhibited excellent analytical performance, making it a promising tool for MDMA tracking in interstitial fluid for individuals on probation or under therapeutic treatment
Full article, in which researchers from the Iuliu Hațieganu University of Medicine and Pharmacy and the University of Antwerp have participated, has been published in Microchemical Journal and can be found here.