smart patch that monitors blood glucose levels

According to forecasts from the World Health Organization (WHO), In 2030, diabetes will become the seventh leading cause of death in the world. This is one of the main health problems facing society today, since, according to the Spanish Diabetes Society, the current average prevalence of diabetes on the European continent is 9.2%, lower than in our country, where the figure is 14.8 %, i.e. we are among the states with the highest prevalence on the continent. Spain is the second country in Europe with the highest number of people with diabetes, second only to Germany.according to data from the latest International Diabetes Federation (IDF) Diabetes Atlas report.

In Spain, the cost of diabetes is 5.809 million euros per year, and these health care costs depend on the increasing prevalence of this pathology. To control this disease, Patients with diabetes should constantly monitor their blood sugar levels.which in most cases means resort to finger pricks.

Faced with this situation, researchers continue to look for solutions to make it easier daily life of diabeticsand researchers from Nanyang Technological University in Singapore has developed a revolutionary non-invasive system that allows you to leave punctures behind.

Laser technology for measuring blood glucose levels

Developed by scientists from Nanyang Technological University (Singapore) under the guidance of Professor Yu-Cheng Chen from the country’s School of Electrical and Electronics Engineering, it is A patch-shaped microlaser device that accurately measures glucose levels in sweat..

This is a new non-invasive and effective way for patients to monitor their health. It consists of “Band-Aid” or tape that measures body biomarkers

which can indicate health or illness through sweat.

And human sweat contains biomarkers such as glucose, lactate and ureawhich indicate various health conditions, and can be collected non-invasively and painlessly, making it ideal for daily monitoringThis was reported by a team of researchers from the School of Electrical and Electronics Engineering (EEE) of NTU.

This device, created by NTU researchers, is based on light, is compact and flexible, like a patch, so “can provide highly accurate biomarker readings in minutes“, according to Nanyang Technological University.

How does the smart patch for diabetics work?

These smart “band-aids” use microscopic droplets of cholesteric liquid crystals (CLCs) that act as small lasers excited by light. These microdroplets are a material as thick as a human hair. fluctuate depending on the concentration of various chemicals in sweat

.

They are configured to capture three types various biomarkers: lactate, glucose and ureawhich differ in different colors on the ribbon.

As the NTU study explains, as the composition of sweat changes, so does the color of the light from these crystals. To read biomarker levels, the patient must illuminate the tape with a light sourceand the light emitted by microlaser sensors analyzes and translates using a mobile application.