Multifunctional Textile Electronics Based on Triboelectric Nanogenerator with Electrochemical Synergy for Parkinson’s Disease Management

Abstract

Parkinson’s disease (PD) affects tens of millions of people globally, yet current clinical management remains fragmented, relying on subjective assessments and episodic laboratory measurements that fail to capture disease dynamics in real-world settings. Here, we present a smart textile-integrated multimodal interface (STMI) that seamlessly combines tremor quantification with real-time therapeutic drug monitoring through a wearable wristband platform. The system integrates an array of enhanced triboelectric nanogenerators with optimized bead-on-string nanofiber architecture for sensitive tremor detection, coupled with fiber-based electrochemical sensors for simultaneous monitoring of levodopa (LD), pH, and sodium levels in sweat. By leveraging deep learning algorithms (bidirectional LSTM), the STMI achieves accurate discrimination between healthy controls, prodromal Parkinson’s patients, and PD patients—including early detection of prodromal stages currently undetectable by standard imaging. Longitudinal tracking in PD patients demonstrates real-time correlation between tremor suppression and LD pharmacokinetics, enabling quantitative assessment of medication efficacy and identification of wearing-off phenomena. The textile-based form factor ensures ergonomic wearability and mechanical robustness for continuous monitoring, while the integrated multimodal sensing paradigm establishes a new standard for personalized PD management. This work demonstrates how intelligent wearable systems can bridge the gap between motor symptom assessment and pharmacological profiling, transforming PD care from episodic clinical visits to continuous, data-driven therapeutic optimization.

Graphical Abstract

Keywords

Wearable sensor / Parkinson’s disease / Textile / Healthcare / Therapeutic drug monitoring

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Funding

Shenzhen Medical Research Fund(D2402018)

National Natural Science Foundation of China(T2525024)

City University of Hong Kong(9229197)

Research Grants Council of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region(RFS2324-1S03)

the Nano & Material Technology Development Program through the National Research Foundation of Korea(RS-2024-00411904)

Shenzhen Science and Technology Program(SYSPG20241211173609007)

City University of Hong Kong

RIGHTS & PERMISSIONS

The Author(s)