Biopsy needle integrated with multi-modal physical/chemical sensor array

A biopsy needle integrated with a multi-modal physical/chemical sensor array for electrical conductivity, pH, and glucose concentration measurement was developed. A flexible device with an electrical conductivity sensor, a pH sensor, and a glucose sensor was fabricated on a flexible polyimide substrate with thickness less than 20 μm. Then, the sensor was directly integrated onto the surface of biopsy needle by attaching with a pressure sensitive adhesive. The performance factors of the sensor were examined, showing that it could properly measure the parameters in the ranges of human body conditions (conductivity = 0.0265 S/m - 1.027 S/m, pH = 6.6–7.4, and glucose concentration = 2 mM–13 mM). The capabilities of dual-modal and multi-modal sensing were demonstrated by tests with a liver cancer mimicking hydrogel phantom, a solution sample, and porcine liver tissue with exchanged parameters by perfusion of the phosphate buffer saline. Based on these results, we expect that the biopsy needle integrated with the multi-modal sensor array could help to increase the accuracy of the image-guided biopsy process by providing the information of tissue types at the needle tip.