What if checking medication levels were as simple as enjoying a lollipop? A candy-coated device, called Lollylab, could provide the answer. In ACS Sensors, researchers describe how the lollipop's stem transfers saliva to a sensor that measures acetaminophen levels. In an initial test, a peach-flavored prototype reliably detected the pain reliever in six people's saliva in less than two minutes. Participants also found it more comfortable and easier to use than traditional collection swabs.
By turning a familiar object like a lollipop into both a saliva collection device and a sensor, Lollylab can collect the sample and perform the measurement directly at the point of care." - Sina Khazaee Nejad
Adapted from ACS Sensors 2026, DOI: 10.1021/acssensors.6c00691
Acetaminophen is an ingredient in many over-the-counter products, including pain relievers, cold and flu medications, and more. But taking more than the maximum recommended dose can cause serious side effects, such as liver damage. This is especially concerning for children who can be at risk of an unintentional overdose at low levels of the medication. Because acetaminophen concentrations in saliva closely reflect those in blood, Sina Khazaee Nejad, Maral Mousavi, and colleagues thought saliva could be a simple, noninvasive way to monitor the medication's levels.
Mousavi says they were inspired by the saliva sampling system CandyCollect - a lollipop-like device meant to replace throat swabs - but those specimens need to be analyzed elsewhere. In this work, the researchers wanted to create a miniature laboratory-on-a-lollipop, or Lollylab. "By turning a familiar object like a lollipop into both a saliva collection device and a sensor, Lollylab can collect the sample and perform the measurement directly at the point of care," says Nejad, the first author of the paper.
Lollylab is built from two plastic pieces (each with a round end and a thinner stem) snapped together, with holes at the top for saliva to enter through. The team coated the top of the device with a red, peach-flavored edible candy shell, which did not interfere with measurements. Saliva flows through the glass fiber paper-lined lollipop stem toward a graphene sensor at the bottom, which measures acetaminophen levels as changes in electrical current. The prototype device detected acetaminophen in both artificial and human saliva.
Adapted from ACS Sensors 2026, DOI: 10.1021/acssensors.6c00691
As proof of concept, six adults used Lollylab before and an hour after taking a standard adult dose of acetaminophen (650 milligrams). The device reliably measured the drug in the participants' saliva in less than two minutes, and they said it was easy to use and more comfortable than typical saliva swabs.
"The main takeaway is that diagnostic testing can be made much easier and more comfortable, especially for children," says Nejad. Next, the researchers plan to validate Lollylab's acetaminophen measurements with more participants, including children, and develop it to detect other substances in saliva such as naturally occurring stress markers. "Our longer-term goal is to create a multi-assay platform capable of measuring several biomarkers, which could then be evaluated alongside acetaminophen in larger clinical studies."
The authors acknowledge funding from the 3M Nontenured Faculty Award, Women in Science and Engineering at the University of Southern California, and the President's Sustainability Research Award. The authors also thank Dr. Ashleigh Theberge for insightful conversations about the CandyCollect manufacturing.
Some of the authors have filed a provisional patent based on this device.
