University of Glasgow Students Win Innovation Award at SensUs 2026 for Wearable Biosensor Concept Designed to Improve Parkinson’s Medication Monitoring

University of Glasgow Students Win Innovation Award at SensUs 2026 for Wearable Biosensor Concept Designed to Improve Parkinson’s Medication Monitoring

(IN BRIEF) A multidisciplinary University of Glasgow student team has won the Innovation Award at SensUs 2026 for GLAsense, a wearable mechanical biosensor concept designed to continuously monitor levodopa levels in people living with Parkinson’s disease. The 10-member team competed against 16 other university teams from Europe, North America and Asia during the SensUs Innovation Days in Eindhoven from 24 to 28 August 2026. Their system uses a specially engineered hydrogel to recognise levodopa and convert its presence into a measurable pressure signal, offering a different approach from conventional biosensing technologies while also incorporating replaceable components intended to support affordable long-term use. The students validated the concept through extensive testing of selectivity, reversibility and performance across different levodopa concentrations and worked closely with Glasgow’s Young Onset Parkinson’s Group to ensure the device addressed real patient needs. Supervised by Professor Julien Reboud and Dr Chunxiao Hu, the team plans to continue developing the technology, publish a non-profit patient-management app and investigate wider applications for the mechanical sensing concept after adding another major award to the University of Glasgow’s recent SensUs successes.

(PRESS RELEASE) GLASGOW, 7-Sep-2026 — /EuropaWire/ — A multidisciplinary team of University of Glasgow students has won the Innovation Award at the international SensUs 2026 healthcare design competition for a novel wearable biosensor concept aimed at improving the monitoring of levodopa, the primary medication used to manage Parkinson’s disease.

The 10-member GLAsense team developed a mechanical biosensor designed to continuously track levodopa levels using a specially engineered hydrogel that recognises the drug and translates its presence into a meashurable pressure signal.

The concept takes a different approach from conventional biosensing methods and was recognised for both its technical innovation and the depth of experimental analysis carried out by the students.

GLAsense wins Innovation Award against 17 international teams

SensUs, now in its 11th year, is organised by students at Eindhoven University of Technology in the Netherlands and challenges university teams to demonstrate how biosensing technologies can address real healthcare needs.

The 2026 competition took place during the Innovation Days in Eindhoven from 24 to 28 August and brought together 17 student teams from Europe, North America and Asia.

This year’s challenge focused on developing biosensors capable of continuously monitoring levodopa in people living with Parkinson’s disease.

Medication management can be particularly difficult for Parkinson’s patients because the same dose may produce different effects at different times, while there is currently no routine way to determine how much levodopa is present in a patient’s body at any given moment.

Mechanical biosensor uses hydrogel to detect levodopa

GLAsense designed a wearable sensing system based on a specially engineered hydrogel that interacts with levodopa.

The presence of the drug is converted into a measurable pressure signal, creating a mechanical detection method that differs from more conventional biosensor technologies.

The students also designed the device so that key components could be replaced economically, potentially supporting low-cost, long-term use.

Beyond developing the concept itself, the team carried out extensive analysis and characterisation of the system.

They tested its selectivity, reversibility and ability to monitor levodopa across a range of concentrations, providing experimental evidence to support the feasibility of the sensing approach.

The competition judges specifically highlighted the thoroughness of this work, which played an important role in the team receiving the Innovation Award.

Patient input shapes development from the outset

The GLAsense team worked closely with Glasgow’s Young Onset Parkinson’s Group throughout the project.

Patients contributed directly to the design process, helping the students understand the practical challenges associated with Parkinson’s management and ensuring that the concept addressed genuine day-to-day needs rather than focusing solely on technical novelty.

The team said this patient-centred approach influenced the project from its earliest stages.

GLAsense intends to continue developing the work after the competition, including plans to publish a non-profit app designed to help patients manage their condition.

The students also intend to investigate potential applications for their mechanical sensing technology beyond levodopa monitoring.

Student team credits patients and extensive laboratory work

Morris McDiarmid, GLAsense team captain and a Mechanical Engineering student, said the team set out to explore a sensing approach that had not previously been demonstrated in this form.

He said extensive laboratory work was required to show that the concept was both technically novel and relevant to practical biosensing.

McDiarmid also highlighted the contribution of patients, whose feedback helped motivate the students and demonstrated the potential importance of the work for people living with Parkinson’s disease.

University of Glasgow builds on previous SensUs successes

The 2026 Innovation Award continues a strong record for University of Glasgow students at SensUs.

In 2025, GLAsense placed third in the Translation Potential Award category.

In 2024, the team won both the Innovation Award and the Translation Potential Award.

This year’s team was supervised by Professor Julien Reboud and Dr Chunxiao Hu from the University of Glasgow’s James Watt School of Engineering.

Support was also provided by Glasgow’s Young Onset Parkinson’s Group, RS Components and the University of Glasgow Chancellor’s Fund.

Professor Reboud said he was proud to see the students continue the University’s strong performance at SensUs and praised their creativity and determination.

He noted that more than 10 million people worldwide live with Parkinson’s disease and said the team’s design could have potential to help patients manage medication more effectively.

He added that the project demonstrates how University of Glasgow students are applying engineering and scientific skills to real-world healthcare challenges.

Multidisciplinary team combines engineering and bioscience expertise

The GLAsense team consists of students from several disciplines across the University of Glasgow:

Morris McDiarmid – Mechanical Engineering
Hannah White – Biomedical Engineering
Amira Mistkawi – Biomedical Engineering
Priyanka Virdi – BioSciences (MSc)
Haonan Zhao – Electrical and Electronics Engineering (MSc)
Olivia Skinner – Biomedical Engineering
Najaree Janjerdsak – Biomedical Engineering
Zeiad Alkandari – Electrical and Electronics Engineering (MSc)
Feryaal Main – Biomedical Engineering
Lina Roy – Biomedical Engineering

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SOURCE: University of Glasgow

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