Diabetics need to regularly test their blood sugar levels. Today forced to prick themselves 6 to 8 times with a glycemia tester, patients will finally be able to follow the evolution of their glucose level with a painless, flexible and easy to apply tool: the temporary tattoo.
This sensor was developed and tested by graduate student Amay Bandodkar from the lab of Professor Joseph Wang in the Department of Nanotechnology at the Jacobs School of Engineering at the University of California.
Engineers tested this temporary tattoo on seven men and women between the ages of 20 and 40 with no history of diabetes. For the test, the volunteers ate a meal high in sugar. None of the volunteers reported any pain or discomfort during the tattoo trial. Only a few people said they felt a slight tingling in the first 10 seconds of the event.
At present, the tattoo does not provide for digital readout. The patient will have to follow the evolution of his glucose level on his own. But this type of interpretation is being developed by researchers in electrical and computer engineering at the University. “The reading instrument will also have Bluetooth capabilities to send all information directly to the patient’s doctor in real time or to store data,” said Amay Bandodkar.
The researchers say the device could also be used to measure other important chemicals such as lactate, (lactic acid produced by muscles) to monitor athletes’ fitness or to test how well a drug is working. It could also be used to detect alcohol or illicit drug use in the blood.
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