Wearable and implantable biosensors are often presented as sleek, sophisticated products that seem only a short step away from commercialisation. The reality is very different. Behind every successful biosensor platform lies years of development, thousands of experiments, significant funding, and continuous engineering refinement.
This webinar explores the role of screen printed electrodes (SPEs) in wearable and implantable biosensors, explains why development must come before productisation, and examines what can be learned from some of the most successful biosensor companies in the world.
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The Foundation of Modern Biosensors
When people think about wearable biosensors such as the Abbott FreeStyle Libre or Dexcom Continuous Glucose Monitoring (CGM) systems, they often focus on the finished product.
However, these technologies typically begin on platforms that look remarkably similar to conventional screen printed electrodes.
🔗 Screen Printed Electrodes:
https://shop.zimmerpeacock.com/en-gb/collections/bare-electrodes
Screen printed electrodes provide researchers with an affordable, scalable and proven platform for:
- Electrochemical sensing
- Biosensor development
- Materials screening
- Biochemistry optimisation
- Manufacturing process development
Whether producing a disposable glucose strip or a sophisticated implantable biosensor, similar manufacturing principles often apply:
- Printed conductive tracks
- Defined electrode geometries
- Deposited sensing chemistry
- Electronics integration
- Packaging and encapsulation
The difference is largely one of scale and refinement.
What Do Blood Glucose Strips and CGMs Have in Common?
At first glance, a blood glucose test strip and a continuous glucose monitor appear completely different.
A glucose strip provides a single data point.
A CGM continuously measures glucose levels throughout the day.
Yet from a manufacturing perspective, the underlying technologies share a common heritage.
Many of today's CGM systems evolved from technologies originally developed for self-monitoring blood glucose (SMBG) strips.
Rather than creating completely new manufacturing methods, developers adapted and miniaturised proven printed-electrode production techniques.
This historical progression provides strong evidence that screen printed electrodes are a valid starting point for the development of wearable and implantable biosensors.
Develop First, Productise Later
One of the most common mistakes in biosensor development is attempting to start with the final product design.
Many developers begin with requirements such as:
"I need a circular electrode, 25 mm in diameter, with multiple working electrodes and wearable functionality."
The problem is that this describes the destination rather than the starting point.
Successful biosensor programmes typically begin with:
✅ Off-the-shelf electrodes
✅ Standard electronics
✅ Breadboard prototypes
✅ Laboratory validation
✅ Early proof-of-concept testing
Only when the science is proven and performance is understood does it make sense to invest in custom geometries and product-specific manufacturing.
Developing on standard platforms dramatically reduces risk, cost and development time.
The Financial Reality of Biosensor Development
An often-overlooked aspect of wearable and implantable biosensors is the level of funding required.
Research Stage
Funding: Less than £5,000
At this stage developers should focus on:
- Commercially available electrodes
- Laboratory testing
- Feasibility studies
- Breadboard electronics
Development Stage
Funding: £350,000+
This level of funding allows teams to begin building:
- Custom electronics
- Prototype systems
- Sensor integration
- Early wearable formats
- Preclinical studies
Commercialisation Stage
Funding: Tens to Hundreds of Millions
Examples from industry illustrate the magnitude of investment required:
- Biolinq has raised hundreds of millions of dollars over more than a decade of development.
- SiBionics has raised significant funding while progressing towards large-scale CGM deployment.
These examples demonstrate that successful commercial biosensors require substantial investment, time and expertise.
Don't Be Misled by Startup Marketing
The biosensor sector is filled with impressive product images and polished websites.
However, when evaluating a company or technology, it is worth asking:
- How long has the company existed?
- How large is the team?
- What funding has been raised?
- What technical milestones have been independently demonstrated?
- Is there evidence of clinical or preclinical validation?
A sophisticated product render does not necessarily represent a mature product.
Many projects remain at the breadboard stage even when the public-facing marketing appears polished and commercial.
Challenges of PCB and Flex-Circuit Biosensors
Academic literature frequently highlights successful demonstrations of bioelectrochemical sensors built on printed circuit boards (PCBs) and flexible circuits.
However, practical implementation often encounters challenges including:
- Corrosion
- Reduced long-term stability
- Yield limitations
- Reliability issues
Published literature naturally focuses on positive results.
Developers should therefore consider long-term durability and failure mechanisms alongside published performance metrics.
This becomes increasingly important for wearable and implantable systems expected to operate continuously for days, weeks or months.
Why Manufacturing Starts with Electrode Sheets
Many researchers think of screen printed electrodes as individual devices.
In reality, manufacturing is typically based on sheets or arrays.
Keeping electrodes in sheet format offers several significant advantages:
Improved Automation
Entire sheets can be loaded directly into robotic systems.
Better Reproducibility
Robotic dispensing provides greater consistency than manual deposition.
Easier Scale-Up
A sheet-based workflow closely resembles commercial manufacturing processes.
Lower Cost
Automation reduces labour and increases throughput.
Zimmer & Peacock often supplies perforated electrode sheets that allow individual electrodes to be removed while maintaining compatibility with future scale-up strategies.
Lessons from Abbott and TheraSense
One of the strongest examples of successful technology progression comes from Abbott's acquisition of TheraSense.
TheraSense was founded by Professor Adam Heller and colleagues and initially focused on blood glucose test strips.
The company's expertise in electrochemistry, manufacturing and biosensor design ultimately helped underpin later continuous glucose monitoring products.
This progression illustrates a key lesson:
Successful wearable biosensors are typically built upon years of prior sensor-development experience rather than emerging fully formed as finished products.
Implantable Biosensors: Beyond Wearables
While wearable sensors sit on the skin, implantable sensors operate beneath it.
This introduces additional challenges including:
- Biocompatibility
- Packaging
- Miniaturisation
- Wireless communication
- Long-term sensor stability
Zimmer & Peacock has developed implantable biosensor systems for animal studies including fish and pigs.
These systems have incorporated:
- Implantable electrochemical sensors
- Bluetooth connectivity
- Wireless telemetry
- Cloud-connected monitoring
- Long-term validation testing
Importantly, these programmes began with conventional sensors and evolved through years of iterative development.
Testing Before Implantation
Before implantation, sensors must undergo extensive laboratory testing.
This can involve:
- Flow-cell validation
- Accelerated testing
- Multi-week stability studies
- Multiple analyte concentrations
- Sensor response verification
In some cases, sensors may undergo months of testing before progressing to animal studies.
This validation process helps ensure ethical and scientific rigour while minimising the risk of failure during implantation.
Building the Complete Biosensor Technology Stack
A modern wearable or implantable biosensor involves far more than an electrode.
Sensor Platform
The electrochemical sensing interface.
🔗 Screen Printed Electrodes
https://shop.zimmerpeacock.com/en-gb/collections/bare-electrodes
Biosensor Chemistry
Enzymes, mediators, membranes and reagents.
🔗 Biosensor Development
https://shop.zimmerpeacock.com/en-gb/pages/sensors
🔗 Chemical & Solution Kits
https://shop.zimmerpeacock.com/en-gb/collections/chemical-and-solutions
🔗 Solutions for Screen Printed Electrodes
https://shop.zimmerpeacock.com/en-gb/collections/solutions
Electronics
Signal acquisition and processing hardware.
🔗 Biosensor Electronics
https://shop.zimmerpeacock.com/en-gb/products/biosensor-single-purpose-board
Communications
Bluetooth and wireless telemetry.
Cloud Infrastructure
Data collection, storage, visualisation and analytics.
Each layer introduces additional engineering challenges and development costs.
Key Takeaways
Screen printed electrodes remain one of the most important enabling technologies in wearable and implantable biosensing.
The key lessons from successful biosensor programmes are:
- Start with proven off-the-shelf platforms.
- Validate the science before customising the hardware.
- Develop before productising.
- Think in terms of manufacturing sheets rather than individual electrodes.
- Understand the true funding requirements of commercial biosensor development.
- Learn from successful companies such as Abbott, Dexcom and TheraSense.
- Build the complete technology stack, not just the sensor.
Most importantly, recognise that successful biosensors are rarely built overnight.
They are the result of years of development, thousands of tests and substantial investment in science, engineering and manufacturing.
Further Information
🌐 Screen Printed Electrodes
https://shop.zimmerpeacock.com/en-gb/collections/bare-electrodes
🧪 Biosensor Development
https://shop.zimmerpeacock.com/en-gb/pages/sensors
⚡ Biosensor Electronics
https://shop.zimmerpeacock.com/en-gb/products/biosensor-single-purpose-board
📩 Contact Zimmer & Peacock
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