{"id":1163823,"date":"2026-08-22T23:14:27","date_gmt":"2026-08-22T23:14:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/1163823\/"},"modified":"2026-08-22T23:14:27","modified_gmt":"2026-08-22T23:14:27","slug":"virginia-tech-researchers-develop-smart-patch-that-automatically-delivers-naloxone-during-a-fentanyl-overdose","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/1163823\/","title":{"rendered":"Virginia Tech researchers develop smart patch that automatically delivers naloxone during a fentanyl overdose"},"content":{"rendered":"

BLACKSBURG, Va. <\/strong> \u2013 Researchers at Virginia Tech are testing a small wearable patch that can detect fentanyl in a person\u2019s system and automatically release naloxone \u2014 no bystander required.<\/p>\n

The device, called the iNal patch, is smaller than a penny. It uses nanoparticles loaded with naloxone and embedded in 121 microneedle tips. When those nanoparticles sense fentanyl, they open and deliver the drug directly through the skin.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen our nanoparticle detected the fentanyl, it will open the gate and release the naloxone inside,\u201d said Penghui Zhao, a visiting instructor at Virginia Tech\u2019s Academy of Integrated Science who helped develop the technology.<\/p>\n

A solution for overdoses that happen alone<\/p>\n

The patch addresses one of the most persistent and deadly realities of the opioid crisis: people often overdose when no one is around to help.<\/p>\n

The CDC estimates nearly 70,000 people died from overdoses in the United States in 2025, and over half of those deaths were linked to fentanyl.<\/p>\n

Wujin Sun, an assistant professor of biological systems engineering at Virginia Tech, said that reality shaped the project from the start.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn a lot of the cases, overdose related deaths happen because there\u2019s no one around,\u201d Sun said. \u201cWhat if we can engineer the smart device to watch the person all the time and save the person when needed? So, that\u2019s the motivation.\u201d<\/p>\n

How the patch works<\/p>\n

Naloxone \u2014 commonly known by the brand name Narcan \u2014 is the drug used to reverse an opioid overdose. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, it is only active for 30 to 90 minutes. Fentanyl can remain in the body longer, which means a single dose sometimes wears off before the drug does.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn some cases, Narcan can wear off before fentanyl and then people may be overdosed again,\u201d Sun said. \u201cSo, in our patch, we have the cyclic release pattern. That means after the initial life-saving dose, it can be released again.\u201d<\/p>\n

The iNal patch is currently being developed for a 24-hour lifespan, delivering multiple doses over that period. Researchers say that window could be extended significantly.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhenever it\u2019s triggered by the fentanyl, it will release the naloxone from the nanoparticle from the iNal patch. So it totally could be multi-dosage for the fentanyl exposure,\u201d Zhao said.<\/p>\n

A first-of-its-kind direct detection approach<\/p>\n

Sun said when the project began, no published research had combined an opioid sensor with a drug release device in a single wearable.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen we started this project, there\u2019s no such report, even in scientific literature, that people combine opioid sensor with a drug release depot. So, we are the first one at least starting this project,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Other emerging approaches monitor heart rate or breathing patterns as indirect signs of an overdose. The iNal patch is designed to detect fentanyl directly, which Sun said eliminates a layer of uncertainty.<\/p>\n

Potential to treat more than fentanyl overdoses<\/p>\n

The researchers say the patch\u2019s sensing technology could be adapted to detect other opioids or even markers for different diseases, opening the door to broader medical applications.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf we tune it to detect other signals, like different opioids or markers for other diseases, then we can monitor other diseases and then trigger the drug release accordingly,\u201d Sun said.<\/p>\n

The same design logic \u2014 a wearable that senses a condition and releases a drug in response \u2014 could reduce dependence on nearby healthcare workers for a range of patients, Sun added.<\/p>\n

Early results and next steps<\/p>\n

Lab and mouse trials have shown promising results, according to the researchers. The team is now seeking additional funding to advance testing to larger animals and, eventually, human trials.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe want to definitely move it forward to further tests, like larger animals or even FDA approvals for even human tests for the future,\u201d Sun said.<\/p>\n

Virginia Tech\u2019s College of Agriculture, engineering programs, and medical schools all offer resources that could support that development, Sun said.<\/p>\n

Copyright 2026 by WSLS 10 – All rights reserved.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"BLACKSBURG, Va. \u2013 Researchers at Virginia Tech are testing a small wearable patch that can detect fentanyl in…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1163824,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[4315],"tags":[150668,105,4326,30837,4429,10118,16,15,7423],"class_list":["post-1163823","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-medication","tag-blacksburg","tag-health","tag-medication","tag-narcan","tag-overdose","tag-researchers","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-virginia-tech"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/117141705002007646","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1163823","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1163823"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1163823\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1163824"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1163823"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1163823"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1163823"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}