Researchers at The Jackson Laboratory (JAX), in collaboration with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), have unveiled a groundbreaking microneedle patch that can painlessly monitor the body’s immune responses directly from the skin. This innovative device detects inflammatory signals within minutes and collects specialized immune cells within hours, eliminating the need for blood draws or surgical biopsies.
The patch is already proving invaluable for researchers and clinicians studying immune responses in aging and conditions like vitiligo and psoriasis. In the future, it could revolutionize the way we track responses to vaccines, infections, and cancer therapies, complementing traditional blood tests and biopsies while being far less invasive for patients.
Breakthrough in Immune Monitoring
The study, published in Nature Biomedical Engineering, highlights the potential of this technology to transform immune monitoring. “Traditionally, studying some of the most important immune cells in the body requires a skin biopsy or blood draws,” explained Sasan Jalili, a biomedical engineer and immunologist at JAX. “We’ve shown we can capture them painlessly and noninvasively instead. This is especially important in sensitive or visible areas like the face or neck, where people often don’t want biopsies because of scarring, as well as for older adults, frail patients, and very young children or infants.”
Initially developed during Jalili’s postdoctoral training at MIT, the platform was refined and advanced towards clinical application at JAX, with collaborations from the University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School (UMass Chan).
Leveraging Natural Immune Responses
Most immune monitoring tests rely on blood samples, but many immune cells that recognize infections, vaccines, or autoimmune triggers are sparse in the bloodstream. The patch works by harnessing resident memory T cells, immune sentinels residing in skin and other barrier tissues, which respond rapidly to previously encountered threats.
By triggering this natural immune process, the researchers were able to assess immune responses effectively. The sampled material provided insights into the number and state of T cells and other signaling molecules, offering a dynamic readout of the immune system’s strength and responsiveness to specific diseases and conditions.
“This study marks the first demonstration of live human immune cell sampling using a microneedle patch,” Jalili said. “This opens the door to a new way of monitoring immune responses that’s practical, painless, and clinically feasible.”
Expanding the Toolbox for Immune Monitoring
The patch absorbs immune cells and signaling proteins from the skin after resident memory T cells are briefly reactivated with a small amount of antigen. It comprises hundreds of microscopic needles made from an FDA-approved polymer, coated with a seaweed-derived hydrogel that safely absorbs immune cells and molecules from skin interstitial fluid. The microneedles penetrate only the upper skin layers, causing minimal irritation and no damage to nerves or blood vessels.
While blood tests and biopsies remain essential, ongoing studies aim to determine how the patch performs across different diseases and patient populations. The early findings are promising, according to study co-author Darrell Irvine, an immunologist and bioengineer at Scripps Research, who initiated the work at MIT.
“Not only did we run extensive preclinical experiments, we were able to carry out an initial test in humans,” Irvine said. “That’s exciting because it almost never happens with brand-new technologies. Moving new technologies from the lab to testing on patients often takes years.”
Future Implications and Applications
The patch could be particularly beneficial for skin conditions, as immune cells driving conditions like allergic dermatitis, psoriasis, and vitiligo already reside in the tissue. Jalili is currently using it to study how age-related skin changes contribute to chronic inflammation and frailty in older adults as part of the Pepper Scholars Program at the UConn School of Medicine and UConn Center on Aging.
Looking ahead, the patch could support at-home monitoring, allowing patients with skin conditions to track unpredictable flare-ups. The technology might also be adapted for oral or nasal cavities, enabling the monitoring of mucosal immune responses.
“People wouldn’t need hours of sampling. Even 15 to 30 minutes can be enough to detect inflammatory signals and get a sense of what’s happening in the tissue,” Jalili said.
Other contributors to this study include Ryan R. Hosn of MIT; Wei-Che Ko and Khashayar Afshari of UMass Chan; Ashok Kumar Dhinakaran of The Jackson Laboratory; Namit Chaudhary and Laura Maiorino of MIT; Nazgol Haddadi of UMass Chan; Anusha Nathan, Matthew A. Getz, and Gaurav D. Gaiha of The Ragon Institute of Massachusetts General Hospital; Mehdi Rashighi and John E. Harris of UMass Chan; and Paula T. Hammond of MIT and the Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research.
This research was supported by the NIH (award U01AI176310), The Jackson Laboratory, the Ragon Institute of MGH, MIT and Harvard, and the Koch Institute Support Grant P30-CA14051 from the National Cancer Institute. The authors have submitted a patent application filed by MIT related to the data presented in this work.
