Hi-Tech Tattoo to test Type 1 diabetes

Anne Trafton, MIT News Office : Christine Daniloff

Several pricks into your finger to track your blood sugar level can be little painful but more a hassle. You might sometime wish for a machine which could be attached to your body and immediately detects your glucose level. Chemical engineers at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) are working on carbon nanotubes that could be injected under the skin to reveal blood glucose levels.
Paul Barone and Prof. Michael Strano are working on a new type of blood glucose monitor that could not only eliminate the need for finger pricks but also offer more accurate readings.

Strano and Barone’s sensing system consists of a “tattoo” that’s designed to detect glucose, the nanotubes are wrapped in a polymer that is sensitive to glucose concentrations. A wearable device roughly the size of a wristwatch shines infrared light through the skin and onto the nanotubes, which fluoresce when in contact with glucose, thus displaying the patient’s glucose level.

The researchers plan to create an “ink” of these nanoparticles suspended in a saline solution that could be injected under the skin like a tattoo. The “tattoo” would last for a specified length of time, probably six months, before needing to be refreshed.

Claims are high and it seems pretty useful for those suffering from type 1 diabetes but is it possible to re-etch a tattoo on the same place where first tattoo is done? Or new skin area will be required, if this happens then one fine day you’ll have to switch back to contemporary blood sugar testing device. I think best is to eat healthy and exercise well to keep yourself away from these tattoos. Be more living and etch some real colorful tattoos 😉

Source: MIT

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