A Revolutionary Breakthrough for Diabetes Management

Shanghai Researchers Develop Revolutionary Non-invasive Blood Glucose Monitoring Method

Researchers in Shanghai have developed a groundbreaking non-invasive method for monitoring blood glucose levels. This new technology allows individuals to measure their blood glucose levels accurately by simply placing their palm on a monitoring device.

This innovative approach eliminates the need for painful finger pricks or blood draws, which are associated with traditional glucose monitoring methods. This advancement has the potential to significantly improve patients' compliance with regular blood glucose monitoring and enhance their quality of life.

Diabetes is a major public health concern, affecting over 500 million people worldwide. In China, the prevalence of diabetes among adults is as high as 12 percent. Effective and regular blood glucose monitoring is crucial for managing diabetes. However, current methods require invasive procedures, which can cause discomfort and pose challenges for long-term monitoring.

Non-invasive blood glucose detection technology has been a research focus for decades, but challenges in accuracy and versatility have hindered its progress. This new research utilizes optical coherence tomography (OCT) technology to determine the optimal detection depth for non-invasive blood glucose monitoring. This depth is located at or below the dermal-epidermal junction, where rich capillaries and interstitial fluid carry information about blood glucose levels.

The researchers employed multiple μ-spatially offset Raman spectroscopy (mμSORS) to develop the non-invasive blood glucose monitoring technique. This technology offers high spatial resolution, enabling simultaneous detection of subcutaneous tissues at different depths. This feature effectively reduces background signal interference from the epidermis, enhancing the accuracy of glucose monitoring.

Clinical studies involving 200 diabetes patients and 30 healthy individuals validated the accuracy and universality of the technology. The average absolute error between mμSORS non-invasive blood glucose readings and venous blood glucose readings was 14.6 percent, with 99.4 percent of the non-invasive readings falling within the acceptable range regarding clinical errors.

This new technology offers several advantages. It does not require calibration for different individuals, making it suitable for diverse populations across various age groups, skin colors, and body shapes. This paves the way for future large-scale applications and improved diabetes management.

The research findings were published on the website of Nature Metabolism on Wednesday. The study was a collaborative effort by researchers from the National Clinical Research Center for Metabolic Diseases at Ruijin Hospital, the Medical Chip Research Institute of Ruijin Hospital, and PhoVie, a Shanghai-based enterprise specializing in combining integrated circuit chip technology and biotechnology.