An Interview with Christelle Bakarat on the Research Potential of U-Scan
4 min read
This article is based on our November 14, 2025 interview with Christelle Bakarat.
Christelle Bakarat is the Head of Chemistry for Withings, a role she has held since 2020, after joining the company in 2016. She studied chemistry and chemical engineering, with a PhD in plasma physics. The team she leads is specialized in the development of chemical and biochemical reactions on paper for the detection of biomarkers in urine and other body fluids.
Emma Lugten (EL): Christelle, thank you for taking the time to talk about U-Scan for our researcher newsletter. The product is getting a lot of attention. Can you tell us how the U-Scan product got started and how its main goal has changed over time?
Christelle Barakat (CB): Absolutely. The first idea for U-Scan came from Éric [Carreel] back in 2014 after a discussion with a doctor. The original goal was very specific: to use detailed urine analysis as an easy way to check for prostate cancer. I joined the company in 2016, and since then, the project has grown a lot. We realized the core technology could do much more than just check for one disease. The vision changed from a simple testing tool to a broad platform for checking your health every day. This bigger goal is what has really shaped how we’ve developed the product.
EL: That’s a great way to put it. Can you explain the current technology? What makes U-Scan stand out when it comes to checking your health at home?
CB): We are currently working with the third, very advanced version of U-Scan. We first had an electrochemical version, followed by a very advanced microfluidic chip and we are now using paper chemistry based on classical dipstick models. The system is composed of two parts, a reader and a cartridge where the reader is durable and the cartridge is a consumable. By having one standard device we can address different use cases by selecting the relevant urinary biomarkers to analyse. What truly sets U-Scan apart from existing solutions is the seamless experience combined with its ability to provide a goldmine of concrete, quantifiable data, all without requiring users to change their daily habits. This data empowers users to optimize their lifestyle, their diet, or their medical condition.
The core value of this system lies in its ability to test a wide array of biomarkers and support numerous use cases by simply swapping cartridges, ensuring that different needs are addressed effectively, even if the initial cost may be a bit high.
EL: What are those different uses? What can we buy right now, and what new applications can we look forward to soon?
CB: The first product we launched is a nutrition cartridge. This gives people immediate, helpful feedback on their diet and how much water they are drinking. This is a great way to start the habit of checking their health all the time. Looking ahead, we have big plans for new health checks. We are working on cartridges for important areas where people need help, including kidney stones, bacterial urinary tract infections (UTIs), how the body handles stress, and a special cartridge focused on women’s health. The kidney stone and UTI cartridges, for example, go beyond simple tracking to give important early warning signs, which can be vital for people managing those conditions.
EL: It sounds like you are getting into some serious medical areas. Are you working with any researchers or running clinical studies to prove that the technology works for these new uses?
CB: Yes, that is extremely important to us.While U-Scan is not yet a medical device, we have adopted a very rigorous scientific approach. We have worked with several doctors to confirm the clinical utility of our biomarkers, and we have conducted analytical performance studies according to medical guidelines and criteria. We are now initiating a proof-of-concept study to demonstrate that the mere act of using U-Scan drives positive behavioral changes that mitigate the risk of kidney stones, and a subsequent study is planned to validate the long-term effectiveness of our Calci cartridge in reducing the rate of kidney stone recurrence.
EL: Finally, looking past the products you’ve already planned, do you have a personal, long-term dream for what U-Scan could achieve?
CB: My personal dream is to take U-Scan even further and create a cartridge that is purely for prevention. This wouldn’t be for a single illness, but instead, it would check a mix of general markers, things like how much salt or sugar you have in your system, and general signs of inflammation. The main goal is to give people an ongoing, clear picture of their health before a problem even starts, or at least early enough to reverse the tendency. Imagine seeing a possible issue starting and being able to make small changes, all based on the daily chemistry of your body. That is the kind of powerful, forward-looking health care I hope U-Scan can make possible.
Electrochemical skin conductance (ESC) is a non-invasive measurement of the sudomotor function. It measures sweat gland nerve supply and assesses disorders of the autonomic nervous system, which is part of the peripheral nervous system.
Why is ESC important?
A significant number of diabetes patients will be affected by diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN) in their lifetime, and the percentage of diabetes patients who might develop a diabetic foot ulcer (DFU) is also considerable. In addition, studies have shown that the 5-year mortality rate of DFU is comparable to cancer mortality. Given these urgent concerns, electrochemical skin conductance is a crucial tool for health care providers.
But this key measurement doesn’t just provide an essential health care solution. Consider the increased average medical costs for patients with diabetes, the billions of dollars in costs for patients with DFU in addition to the costs of the diabetes itself, and the tens of thousands of dollars in per-patient Medicare reimbursement and reimbursement per patient with diabetes-related foot amputation. It’s clear that electrochemical skin conductance can reduce the costs of diabetes patient care, as well as many of the risks to patient health.
Unfortunately, the current diabetes patient journey presents significant roadblocks, including the low percentage of diabetes patients who actually have an annual foot exam, the number of patients who are misdiagnosed due to unreliable tools, and the lack of patient monitoring. These issues highlight the need for connected health products that can measure ESC and other key biomarkers. These devices and systems can empower patients to take charge of their home health monitoring and motivate them to make beneficial lifestyle changes. They can provide care teams the consistent, accurate data they need to make the right treatment decisions, elevating overall care and improving health outcomes. And of course, they can lower care costs. The health risks to diabetes patients are real and significant — but real and significant solutions exist that can create positive impacts all around.
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Smart Scales have traditionally been used by consumers to track their personal wellness metrics. However, Withings saw an opportunity to use highly sophisticated technologies in an at-home setting that provide critical data for providers to make more timely and informed care decisions. Body Pro 2 is that type of technology - a scale that adds both nuance and robustness to at-home health management and has the potential to improve the early detection of diabetic peripheral neuropathies (DPN).
Remote patient monitoring provides immediate, daily measurements to track and manage patient care for at-risk patients. As the creator of the original home smart scale, Withings has 15 years of experience in this field and hundreds of peer-reviewed studies of its products and measurements. In 2022 Withings acquired Sudoscan®, the FDA-cleared medical device for assessing DPN. We have now incorporated the Sudoscan® technology - which is already used by thousands of clinicians around the world - in our Body Pro 2 device.
Rather than hoping patients come for a regular foot exam, doctors and other health professionals can now monitor signs of diabetic peripheral neuropathy with daily readings to detect the earliest changes in small fiber neuropathy, at a stage when interventions can have the most profound effect. With 70% of patients with diabetes suffering from DPN at some point, regular assessment is critical. Unfortunately, annual comprehensive foot exams, as recommended by the ADA, have patient compliance issues and the conventional assessment techniques used by primary care practitioners (PCPs) often miss asymptomatic patients.
Body Pro 2 assesses small fiber nerves by emitting low voltage pulses to stimulate the sweat glands in the foot and measures reactivity to the impulse, providing a quantitative Electrochemical Skin Conductance (ESC) score. An equivalence study compared the ESC measurements of Withings’ at-home device with those of the Sudoscan device which has been used in specialty clinics and hospital settings for more than 10 years (1). The multi-center, cross-sectional study was carried out in four French university hospitals with 147 patients. Results demonstrated an almost perfect agreement in terms of sensitivity, specificity, and repeatability.
Within 60 seconds of stepping on the scale, patients and care teams receive feedback indicating whether small fiber neuropathy may be present. Care teams can then determine, based on the potential extent of the neuropathy, whether ongoing monitoring or immediate referral to a specialist is needed. The data are displayed on the screen and seamlessly transmitted to the care team by cellular, wireless, or bluetooth technology. This connectivity allows the physician to communicate with the patient and provide instructions for care.
Beyond the usual weight and BMI biomarkers, the Body Pro 2 is the first at-home cellular scale to measure body composition using multifrequency Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis (BIA). The body composition readings include fat mass, visceral fat, muscle mass, bone mass, and water percentage. A built-in algorithm, ProgramMemberID, assures that the data are coming from the patient - not a family member - and an engagement score helps a provider adjust advice to the patient accordingly.
Eric Carreel, Founder and President of Withings, commented, "Body Pro 2 allows for early detection of a largely underdiagnosed condition and therefore a better management of the diabetic foot. I also believe that providing access to longitudinal ESC data has the potential to help the industry rethink how we should care for patients with diabetes."
Riveline JP, Mallone R, Tiercelin C, Yaker F, Alexandre-Heymann L, Khelifaoui L, Travert F, Fertichon C, Julla JB, Vidal-Trecan T, Potier L, Gautier JF, Larger E, Lefaucheur JP. Validation of the Body Scan®, a new Device to detect small fiber neuropathy by assessment of the sudomotor function: agreement with the Sudoscan®. Front Neurol. 2023 Oct 31;14:1256984. doi: 10.3389/fneur.2023.1256984. PMID: 38020587; PMCID: PMC10644320
Amit Goel et al., « Comparison of Electrochemical Skin Conductance and Vibration Perception Threshold Measurement in the Detection of Early Diabetic Neuropathy », PLOS ONE 12, no 9 (7 septembre 2017): e0183973, https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0183973
Angelica Carbajal-Ramírez et al., « Early Identification of Peripheral Neuropathy Based on Sudomotor Dysfunction in Mexican Patients with Type 2 Diabetes », BMC Neurology 19, no 1 (31 mai 2019): 109, https://doi.org/10.1186/s12883-019-1332-4
Selvarajah D, Cash T, Davies J, Sankar A, Rao G, Grieg M, Pallai S, Gandhi R, Wilkinson ID, Tesfaye S. SUDOSCAN: A Simple, Rapid, and Objective Method with Potential for Screening for Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy. PLoS One. 2015 Oct 12;10(10):e0138224
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[post_title] => Withings Introduces Body Pro 2, an Rx Device for Early Detection of DPN*
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What is Electrochemical Skin Conductance?
Electrochemical skin conductance (ESC) is a non-invasive measurement of the sudomotor function. It measures sweat gland nerve supply and assesses disorders of the autonomic nervous system, which is part of the peripheral nervous system.
Why is ESC important?
A significant number of diabetes patients will be affected by diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN) in their lifetime, and the percentage of diabetes patients who might develop a diabetic foot ulcer (DFU) is also considerable. In addition, studies have shown that the 5-year mortality rate of DFU is comparable to cancer mortality. Given these urgent concerns, electrochemical skin conductance is a crucial tool for health care providers.
But this key measurement doesn’t just provide an essential health care solution. Consider the increased average medical costs for patients with diabetes, the billions of dollars in costs for patients with DFU in addition to the costs of the diabetes itself, and the tens of thousands of dollars in per-patient Medicare reimbursement and reimbursement per patient with diabetes-related foot amputation. It’s clear that electrochemical skin conductance can reduce the costs of diabetes patient care, as well as many of the risks to patient health.
Unfortunately, the current diabetes patient journey presents significant roadblocks, including the low percentage of diabetes patients who actually have an annual foot exam, the number of patients who are misdiagnosed due to unreliable tools, and the lack of patient monitoring. These issues highlight the need for connected health products that can measure ESC and other key biomarkers. These devices and systems can empower patients to take charge of their home health monitoring and motivate them to make beneficial lifestyle changes. They can provide care teams the consistent, accurate data they need to make the right treatment decisions, elevating overall care and improving health outcomes. And of course, they can lower care costs. The health risks to diabetes patients are real and significant — but real and significant solutions exist that can create positive impacts all around.
Click the button below to download the infographic.
Our patient-centric care solution utilizes portable Withings cellular devices that are not tied to a single patient. Instead, care teams can use one device to collect and transmit data for an unlimited number of individuals. The integrated cellular connectivity automatically directs the data into the correct patient’s medical record, simplifying data collection and improving care delivery regardless of the setting.