Two devices developed at Sandia National Labs in the US could help diabetes sufferers test their glucose levels, and doctors to determine if someone is having a heart attack without needing to draw blood.
The two devices, the former known as ElectroNeedles, the latter as µPosts, both use arrays of micron-sized needles coated with biologically active material.
However, they detect molecules due to their charge state in the first case, and via an optical technique in the second. Both give instant results.
Elsewhere in the US, researchers have come up with an alternative glucose tester, this one intended to remove altogether the need for daily blood sampling by diabetics. Dr Chang Soo Kim, at the University of Missouri-Rolla (UMR) said: “My method is minimally invasive and provides continuous monitoring of glucose levels.”
The sensor will be inserted just under the surface of the skin and measure changes in glucose level, before sending the information to a monitor worn like a watch. This is not the first time such implantable sensors have been proposed.
“The sensitivity of most sensors tends to degrade after a matter of time,” Kim said. “My microsensor will provide in situ self-calibration, meaning it will periodically calibrate and correct itself autonomously.”
If the prototype is successful, Kim warned that years of medical trials are likely before the sensor will be widely available.
Initial devices have been made using a glass-like material called Foturan, and tested on pig skin. Eventually, mass production using a cheap plastic is the aim.
www.sandia.gov