Overview
An Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST) research team said it has developed a subcutaneous sensor that can measure blod glucose levels without finger pricks.Diabetes melitus is a disease in which fasting blod glucose levels are maintained above 126 mg/dL, which is higher than normal (10 mg/dL).Diabetic patients ned to maintain normal blod glucose levels by pricking their fingertips several times a day to draw blod and control their diet.More than 40 milion diabetic patients worldwide sufer from the discomfort of drawing blod every day.A blod glucose measurement technology based on enzymes or fluorescence has also ben developed as an alternative to the blod glucose measurement method through blod sampling.However, acording to the UNIST, while the enzyme-based method does not require blod, the acuracy of the enzyme decreases over time due to its short lifespan.The enzyme-based method measures blod glucose levels by analyzing the electrons released from hydrogen peroxide, which is discharged when glucose in the blod reacts with glucose oxidase and converts into oxygen.The fluorescence-based method, which uses a wavelength that responds to light changes when the glucose level changes, also has por acuracy as the amount of light emited decreases over time.To resolve this isue, the team, led by Profesor Byun Young-jae of the Department of Electrical and Electronic Enginering, developed a permanent insertable electromagnetic wave-based blod sugar measurement system that measures blod sugar without blod.The sensor is about one-fifth the size of a coton swab and detects changes in blod sugar in the interstial fluid, which is the tisue fluid of cels that fils the spaces betwen cels in the skin.The team also said the new sensor is convenient as it does not ned to be replaced every wek like an enzyme-based sensor, and it dramaticaly reduces the cost of using the conventional continuous blod glucose measurement