New Device to Check Glucose Levels Without Drawing Blood on the Anvil

A new study published in the journal Advanced Functional Materials reveals that development of a new device that can check glucose levels in the body by analyzing urine, tears and saliva samples without the need of drawing out blood. The device uses a biosensor that has been developed using nanotechnology and can detect even minute concentration of glucose in the samples. The device is made up of three major parts, layers of nanosheets that resemble tiny rose petals; platinum nanoparticles; and the enzyme glucose oxidase.

Lead researcher Jonathan Claussen, who developed the device along with Purdue University’s Anurag Kumar, said that the device can detect glucose concentrations that are as low as 0.3 micromolar and added that it can easily be programmed to detect other conditions.

“Because we used the enzyme glucose oxidase in this work, it's geared for diabetes. But we could just swap out that enzyme with, for example, glutemate oxidase, to measure the neurotransmitter glutamate to test for Parkinson's and Alzheimers, or ethanol oxidase to monitor alcohol levels for a breathalyzer. It’s very versatile, fast and portable”, he said.

Source-Medindia