New Ways to Monitor Blood Sugar

New devices and methods are being developed for monitoring blood sugar levels that may soon make needles obsolete. Some of the newer developments, described herein, were presented at a day-long symposium held during the national meeting of the American Chemical Society in Boston (ACS, MA, USA).

A new device monitors glucose levels by shining a beam of near infrared light on the skin. Possible measurement sites include the ear, tongue, and fingers. The device is being developed by researchers at the University of Iowa (Iowa City, USA) and Ohio University (Athens, USA).

A high-technology "tattoo” that glows to reveal glucose levels is being developed at Texas A&M University (College Station, TX, USA). The technique will involve implanting polymer microspheres underneath the skin, probably in the abdomen or upper arm. The spheres contain special fluorescent molecules sensitive to glucose levels in the fluid surrounding the skin cells. When exposed to a special excitation light, the molecules fluoresce to reflect the intensity of the glucose levels, which can then be read by a detector.

A researcher at the University of Pittsburgh (PA, USA) is developing a special gel that shows promise in becoming a contact lens that allows diabetics to monitor their glucose levels simply by looking in the mirror. The gel contains a polymer that recognizes and binds to glucose. Depending on the level in the tear fluid, the gel changes volume and causes crystalline materials inside the gel to change color. Thus diabetics would be able to read their blood sugar level based on the color of their contacts lenses.




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American Chemical Society