Autonomous All-in-One Patch for Closed-Loop Diagnosis–Therapy of Melanoma

Early diagnosis, long-term monitoring, and precise therapy of melanoma are hampered by insufficient medical resources, significantly impacting the reduction of melanoma mortality rates and the mitigation of therapy-induced side effects. As an ideal autonomous all-in-one patch for long-term precision medicine on melanoma, several units, including sensing, drug delivery, power supply, and smart control, are required. Here, a microneedle-based sensing and drug release unit, a flexible printed-circuit board (FPCB)-based smart control platform, and a flexible Zn-air battery are integrated as an autonomous diagnosis-therapy system. This system can be used to detect melanoma chemical markers in real time and controllably release drugs. Melanoma can be sensitively diagnosed (accuracy >95.5% after the second day) and monitored through detecting tyrosinase (TYR) in the interstitial fluid. This melanoma diagnosis-therapy system shows excellent treatment effects (tumor inhibitory rate >70%) and minor side effects characterized by negligible skin damage compared to overtreatment, and this system might shed a new light on the closed-loop diagnosis-therapy of melanoma.