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- February 24, 2026
- 1:13 pm
How Precision Microdispensing Accelerates Adaptyx’s Wearable Biosensor Development
Introduction
In recent years, biomonitoring devices that continuously measure signals from the body or environment have progressed rapidly. These innovations have great potential for personalized health monitoring, but they require advanced technological solutions in order to successfully reach the market. Companies developing wearable biosensors require workflow solutions that enable sensitive and accurate detection of multiple biomolecules in real-time. Moreover, they need partners who help them move from experimental validation to a scalable commercial product.
In this article, we spotlight the customer story of Adaptyx Biosciences, featuring their innovative wearable biosensor, and how utilizing SCIENION’s microdispensing technology for in-house production supported their next phase of product development.
Alex Yoshikawa, PhD, is the Co-Founder and Chief Science Officer at Adaptyx Biosciences, Inc, a spin-off from Stanford University. Adaptyx is developing a cutting-edge biomonitoring platform based on over a decade of groundbreaking research in biosensing using molecular switches.
Learn more about Adaptyx Biosciences:
The Adaptyx biosensor technology for personalized health monitoring
Adaptyx’s biosensor is designed to continuously track a wide range of molecules such as small metabolites, electrolytes, hormones, drugs, and proteins in real-time. This extends well beyond typical wearable biosensors that typically only monitor a very limited set of biomarkers.
The sensor consists of a minimally invasive wearable skin patch equipped with a dermal probe that enables continuous monitoring across multiplexed panels of analytes simultaneously (Figure 1). The Adaptyx sensor provides an opportunity to transform patient care across many conditions by providing rich, continuous data that allows for at-home monitoring and personalized care to improve outcomes and quality of life.
Adaptyx’s biosensor moves beyond traditional single timepoint diagnostics by enabling continuous, longitudinal molecular monitoring. The sensor relies on programmable molecular switches – DNA-based receptors engineered to bind specific molecules with high specificity. Upon binding, these switches change shape and produce a measurable signal in real-time. Molecular switches are unique because they allow detection of a much broader range of analytes than the small number of targets suitable for measurement with enzyme-based systems like commercially available continuous glucose monitors.
Even cutting-edge sensor designs like Adaptyx’s can face challenges in product development as they move beyond the lab bench towards a commercially viable product.
Figure 1. The Adaptyx sensor – a minimally invasive wearable patch that continuously monitors small molecules and proteins in real- time. The dermal probe within the patch can detect a wide range of biomarkers in interstitial fluid, enabling health monitoring on the go and improving chronic disease management.
The Adaptyx wearable biosensor requires microdispensing technology
To advance in their product development, Adaptyx wanted to automate and miniaturize their sensor fabrication and evaluated multiple suppliers. Immobilizing their proprietary molecular switches on the device was not an easy task due to the high technical requirements of the dispensing process. Hereby, microdispensing, meaning the precise handling of liquids at the picoliter to nanoliter scale, played a crucial role.
- Adaptyx required ultra-low volume dispensing, from picoliter to nanoliter, to miniaturize their assays and minimize waste of their precious reagents.
- The molecules needed to be precisely and uniformly distributed on their miniaturized assay to enable consistent performance and ensure the best quality.
- Flexible dispense patterns enabled Adaptyx to maintain the modularity of their biosensor platform even at larger scales of production.
- Adaptyx looked for a supplier capable of managing scalable production of the sensors with a reliable track record.
How SCIENION’s microdispensing technology accelerated Adaptyx’s sensor development
As part of their technical evaluation, Adaptyx tested different microdispensing technologies to immobilize their proprietary molecular switches in a miniaturized assay format. In this format, multiplex patterns consisting of concentric circles with visible metrics were used to analyze the dispensing accuracy.
After detailed testing with leading liquid handling companies, Adaptyx found that SCIENION was the partner they were looking for. Using SCIENION’s microdispensers, ultra-low droplets, both 300 pL and 50 nL, were placed with exceptional accuracy, achieving less than a 25 µm positional offset, which exceeded Adaptyx’s specifications (Figure 3). With this high level of precision and repeatability, assay miniaturization could be facilitated across multiple dispensing targets and ensure consistent performance.
Besides its expertise as advanced microdispensing instrument provider, SCIENION offers service and support throughout the entire product development process, from proof of concept to high-throughput manufacturing. With their US-based technical expert team, SCIENION closely supported the product development of Adaptyx biosensor technologies.
Figure. 2. Microarray test patterns generated by Adaptyx Biosciences to quantify positional alignment. 300 pL (left) and 50 nL (right) droplets were dispensed on the concentric circle pattern with less than a 25 µm positional offset.
“After running demos with leading companies to evaluate the performance and capabilities of their technologies, and speaking to other customer references, it became clear that SCIENION was the partner we were looking for. Their equipment outperformed all others, and their expertise and willingness to closely support our development efforts with their US-based technical teams sealed the decision.”
Alex Yoshikawa, PhD, Co-Founder and Chief Science Officer at Adaptyx Biosciences, Inc
This customer story illustrates how precise, non-contact microdispensing can support the transition from R&D evaluation to scalable, in-house manufacturing, while preserving flexibility as device designs evolve.
Learn more about SCIENION’s microdispensing technology in our blog
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