A 3D rendering of a glucose molecule.
For those suffering from diabetes, having to prick their fingers for blood glucose monitoring can be a painful experience—considering that the average type 1 diabetes patient has to do this up to a dozen times a day.
“Diabetes is an enormous problem, global in scope, and despite decades of engineering advances, our ability to accurately measure glucose in the human body still remains quite primitive,” said Professor Michael Strano, from MIT’s Department of Chemical Engineering.
Strano and postdoctoral researcher Paul Barone are hoping to change that and are currently working on a simple, but effective way to monitor blood glucose with a “tattoo” of nanoparticles.
The nanoparticles are injected once below the skin. A device similar to a wristwatch would then be worn over the “tattoo,” which would display the patient’s glucose level with accuracy.
“It is a life-and-death issue for a growing number of people,” said Strano. A 2008 study in the New England Journal of Medicine showed that frequent monitoring among diabetes patients who were at least 25 years of age, helped them bring their blood glucose levels under control.
There are wearable devices on the market now for monitoring glucose levels, but according to the researchers, they are not as accurate as the finger-prick test. Furthermore, the glucose sensors that work via an injection of an enzyme and accompany an electrode placed on the skin to produce a measurable reaction, cannot be used longer than seven days at a time.
The new “tattoo” particles could last up to six months, before needing to be refreshed.
According to Barone, they are still years away from human trials, but they may soon start trials in animals.
