Sweating Out Stress: A Novel Patch for Cortisol Tracking

Cortisol levels change a lot when we're stressed. These changes help us understand how our hormones are doing. Too much or too little cortisol can signal serious health issues. Usually, checking cortisol involves complex steps and can be kinda painful. Scientists have created a clever patch that makes checking cortisol levels easy, accurate, and not so uncomfortable. This patch uses tiny needles filled with a special gel to pull cortisol from our skin. When cortisol binds to a specific molecule in the patch, it triggers a chain reaction that lights up. The brighter the light, the more cortisol there is.Tests showed this patch worked well both in labs and on real mice. It's also gentle on the skin. Plus, it was really good at finding cortisol even in tiny amounts. As a test, researchers tracked cortisol levels in mice doing a short run. The patch matched results from a common test called ELISA. Scientists hope this patch will help monitor disorders linked to cortisol.