LASER TO MEASURE BLOOD SUGAR WITHOUT ANY PRICK-A BOON FOR PATIENTS

The present method to check blood sugar involves giving a pinprick or collecting blood by a syringe. Scientists at the Princeton University have developed a new technique that depends on laser and requires no pricking or drawing blood for measuring blood sugar levels in diabetic patients.

A specialized laser is directed towards the palm, which passes through the skin cells, without causing damage, and is partially absorbed by the sugar molecules in the patient’s body. The researchers use the amount of absorption to measure the level of blood sugar.

“We are working hard to turn engineering solutions into useful tools for people to use in their daily lives,” said Claire Gmachl, the Eugene Higgins Professor of Electrical Engineering and the project’s senior researcher.

The researchers used a quantum cascade laser to measure the blood sugar of three healthy people before and after they each ate 20 jellybeans, which raise blood sugar levels. They also used a finger-prick test to confirm the laser readings repeatedly over several weeks.

The researchers are hopeful that it could be used for other medical sensing and monitoring applications also. The major drawback is of portability of the equipment. The scientists are working hard to develop a miniature model which is useful and can help improve the lives of many diabetics who need to get regular blood glucose monitoring done.

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