Could your next tattoo be diagnostic?

A new type of implantable, diagnostic ‘invisible tattoo’ has been developed, which could realize the reality of a long-lasting, medical sensor. The new sensor was developed by researchers at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU; Germany), and comprises gold nanoparticles (aka, ‘nanogold’) embedded into an artificial polymeric tissue that can be implanted under the skin, and reports on drug concentrations through changing its color. Previously, the idea of implantable diagnostic sensors has been thwarted by the need for regular replacement owing to the body’s rejection of the implant, or the sensor’s color changing abilities fading over time. The team, led by...