Ultra-small sensor for temperature-sensitive drugs launches

Researchers at the University of Michigan have created a sensor the size of a penny coin that uses Internet of Things (IoT) technology to monitor the temperature of medicines during their distribution journey. 

Measuring 16 mm in diameter, the CubiSens XT1 sensor is substantially smaller than most sensors and can fit onto any product that requires temperature measuring for its entire lifecycle, including vials, bottles or product boxes. It also has less internal components than the average sensor and does not require a large battery, making it a low-power solution.

Researchers spent a decade developing the sensor, with the aim of producing an energy-efficient solution to improve the delivery of temperature-sensitive medicines such as vaccines.

The importance of temperature-monitoring

According to studies by the World Health Organization, up to 50 percent of vaccines are wasted globally every year, in many cases because of temperature excursions that affect the efficacy of the products.

In the meantime, demand for medicines that require careful temperature monitoring is increasing, partly due to the growing trend in biologics and the production and distribution of Covid-19 vaccines since 2020. It is estimated that by 2023, temperature-controlled pharmaceuticals will have grown 59 percent since 2017.

As a result, pharma businesses are turning to cryogenic solutions, sophisticated shipping containers and ultra-small sensors such as the waterproof DST nano-T. The CubiSens XT1 is the latest ultra-small cold chain tracker to be released.

The rise of IoT

Many of these solutions deploy IoT technology to enable temperature monitoring and this is increasing in popularity. A 2021 survey by Pharma Logistics IQ found that pharmaceutical companies are using IoT for data-logging (70 percent), temperature analysis (68 percent), and real-time location analysis (53 percent).

Meanwhile Gyouho Kim, PhD, CEO of CubeWorks, the spinout company founded at the University of Michigan, says there is more to come from their technology.

“CubiSens XT1 is the first of many upcoming products that will disrupt the industrial IoT landscape with its low-cost, small form factor and the capacity for collecting data over long periods of time,” he said.

Quick links: 

• How to mitigate risk in the pharmaceutical cold chain
• Using cryogenic solutions in the biopharmaceutical cold chain
• Pharma 4.0 and the supply chain

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