Cortisol plays a central role in regulating the circadian cycle and in many essential physiological processes such as energy metabolism and immune response. Conventional monitoring of cortisol relies on single blood or saliva samples, which do not accurately reflect the temporal dynamics of its secretion. It is therefore necessary to develop innovative approaches that enable continuous, minimally invasive, and reliable measurement of cortisol concentration in patients.
The doctoral project aims to develop an original optical instrumentation system coupled with microneedles functionalized with fluorescent aptamers for continuous, minimally invasive intradermal monitoring of cortisol without the need for sampling. Within this framework, the PhD candidate will be responsible for designing and sizing the future optical microneedles intended for cortisol detection. They will set up the experimental systems required to characterize the optical microneedles fabricated within the department and test their performance in a representative environment. Finally, the PhD candidate will develop a comprehensive data processing and analysis methodology to identify the key parameters that establish a quantitative relationship between the collected signals and cortisol concentration. Altogether, this work will contribute to the development of an innovative measurement device based on cutting-edge optical emission and detection technologies available at CEA Leti, combining precision, sensitivity, compactness, and thus compatibility with in situ use.