The simple thought of finger pricking is frightening for some and when it comes to the diabetics, who need constant blood sugar monitoring at frequent interval is perhaps very scary.
Scientists from University of Toronto are working on beam of near infra-red light to estimate blood sugar without a finger prick or puncturing a vein. The device can be used in hospitals as well as in home.
The chemical bonds in sugar molecules absorbs energy as the beam of light passes through human tissue harmlessly; and this absorption is measured by the device; that can provide information about the concentration of glucose in the blood.
The scientists are stranded in a point to make sure that other things in the blood should not absorb the near-infrared.
The lead scientist Mandelis and his team used mid-infrared light, which is absorbed by glucose and not by other molecules in the blood; but with one major exception; water that makes up most of blood volume and can absorb the light.
They used 2 beams that are tuned to slightly different wavelengths:
One is absorbed by both water and glucose, the other by only water. When both beams strike dissolved glucose in concert, the water absorptions cancel each other out, giving off measurable heat that spotlights just the sugar.So far, it’s proven sensitive even to small quantities of glucose. And the team is working with a Toronto hospital to set up tests with people.
Published in smartplanet
