Lactate is widely known as a key biomarker in sports science, but its potential extends far beyond athletic performance. Continuous Lactate Monitoring (CLM) is gaining increasing attention in healthcare, offering exciting possibilities for monitoring and managing various medical conditions. Here, we give a short repetition on how lactate monitoring works, explore its relevance in healthcare, and highlight the innovative project that IDRO is currently involved in.
Why Does Lactate Matter in both Sports and Healthcare?
As indicated in previous blogposts, lactate serves as an important indicator of anaerobic metabolism, the process our bodies rely on when oxygen availability is insufficient to meet energy demands. In sports, lactate levels provide mainly insights into fatigue, especially when lactate accumulates and exceeds a certain threshold.
Beyond the athletic realm, lactate plays a critical role in healthcare as a biomarker for physiological disturbances such as injury, infection, or other medical conditions. When the body is under stress, energy demands rise, leading to increased lactate production—even under light activity or without physical effort. This is particularly important when such disturbances result in tissue hypoperfusion (reduced blood flow) and hypoxia (low oxygen levels). Early detection of elevated lactate levels can be crucial for early identifying and treating injuries or medical conditions. Furthermore, monitoring lactate levels over time provides valuable insights into a patient's response to treatment, helping to assess recovery progress and guide therapeutic adjustments.
The Challenges of Traditional Lactate Measurement
For decades, lactate has been monitored in healthcare settings through blood samples, which is mostly analysed in laboratories. While effective, this approach comes with several limitations mirroring those found in sports:
Invasiveness
Discomfort
Non-continuous monitoring
Time and resource-intensive
These challenges highlight the need for innovative solutions that make lactate monitoring less invasive, more continuous, and accessible in real-time.
IDRO’s Possible Solution in Healthcare
To overcome these limitations, IDRO’s non-invasive CLM through sweat approach is a promising technology, eliminating the need for blood sampling while providing real-time feedback on lactate levels. Sweat-based CLM offers a more comfortable and practical alternative for both patients and healthcare providers.
IDRO's Role in Transforming Healthcare Monitoring
Recognizing its potential, IDRO is currently involved in the Interoperable Remote Health Innovation brought to Scale (IRHIS) project, funded by the European Innovation Council and SMEs Executive Agency (EISMEA) - European Commission under the Interregional Innovation Investments Instrument (I3). This collaborative project brings together 22 partners from 13 European regions to create a European-wide Advanced Remote Care Demonstration Chain, and IDRO specifically integrates its sweat-based CLM device.
IDRO’s CLM technology will be tested for its applicability in three different DemoScale labs:
Patients undergoing musculoskeletal rehabilitation, such as those in the pre- or post-operative stages of total joint arthroplasty.
Patients with neurological conditions, such as Parkinson’s disease.
Patients in critical care settings, such as those with sepsis in intensive care units.
Curious about how IDRO’s technology will be implemented and the detailed rationale behind using CLM in these populations? Stay tuned for upcoming blog posts, where we will provide insights into each DemoScale lab.
More information about the IRHIS project can be found here.