A Massachusetts-based company, via nanotechnology, is developing a special tattoo ink that changes colors based on your blood sugar level.
Developing the glucose-indicating ink was not their initial intention. They had set out to develop a sodium-sensitive ink that might have had an application in cardiac monitoring and ensuring proper hydration for athletes.
The nano ink particles are tiny, squishy spheres about 120 nanometers across, inside which are three parts: the glucose detecting molecule, a colour-changing dye, and another molecule that mimics glucose. If the molecules mostly latch onto glucose, the ink appears yellow. If glucose levels are low, the molecule latches onto the glucose mimic, turning the ink purple. A healthy level of glucose has a “funny orangey,” colour.
The sampling process repeats every few milliseconds. There is a slight lag time, but the system would likely permit a diabetic to know whether the blood sugar was abnormally high, or low, and whether the level is rising or falling.
Testing in mice will occur in the very near future. Human testing is likely a couple of years away.
The tattoos would only need to be a few millimeters in size, but a photo of a small dot would not have caught your attention. The subject in the photo, I imagine, will need a mirror with this system?
See the full article here and a related article here.
Developing the glucose-indicating ink was not their initial intention. They had set out to develop a sodium-sensitive ink that might have had an application in cardiac monitoring and ensuring proper hydration for athletes.
The sampling process repeats every few milliseconds. There is a slight lag time, but the system would likely permit a diabetic to know whether the blood sugar was abnormally high, or low, and whether the level is rising or falling.
Testing in mice will occur in the very near future. Human testing is likely a couple of years away.
The tattoos would only need to be a few millimeters in size, but a photo of a small dot would not have caught your attention. The subject in the photo, I imagine, will need a mirror with this system?
See the full article here and a related article here.
Labels: SMBG