Sam Emaminejad, assistant professor of electrical engineering at UCLA, has demonstrated that a wearable biosensor can be used in the diagnosis of cystic fibrosis, diabetes and other diseases by measuring molecules present in an individual's sweat.

He developed the biosensor with colleagues while he was a joint postdoctoral researcher at Stanford Medicine and UC Berkeley. Currently, he is completing his first year on the UCLA engineering faculty and is continuing this line of research in his lab.

The key to the biosensor is it “activates” your sweat while you wear it and you don’t have to run up stairs or stay on a treadmill to the point where you break out in sweat. The research demonstrated for the first time that a wearable, non–invasive sensor can extract sweat at the skin’s surface and monitor in real time important biomarkers for patients.