Interactive tattoo

Ink taught glucose monitoring

Denis Strigun, Naked Science, based on materials from MIT Media Lab: DermalAbyss: Possibilities of Biosensors as a Tattooed Interface

Diabetes mellitus includes a group of chronic diseases, the main symptom of which is an increase in blood glucose due to a relative or absolute lack of insulin. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), in 2012, about 1.5 million people died in the world due to diabetes-related reasons, in 2014, the disease was detected in 8.5 percent of adults. At the same time, the global assessment of diabetes risk still relies on a study from the 1970s, which, as a recent review showed, underestimates the indicator by at least two times.

Since there is no reliable way to treat diabetes mellitus, the therapy is of a substitutive nature. To avoid hyperglycemia, patients are forced to check their blood glucose levels with a glucose meter. To do this, the patient needs to pierce the skin and apply a blood sample to the test strip. If the indicator is exceeded, an insulin injection is carried out – independently or by means of a special pump. This monitoring method is associated with a number of limitations. In particular, the procedure needs to be repeated from three to eight times a day, and the cost of test strips is 30-40 thousand rubles a year.

As an alternative, systems for automatic insulin administration and glucose monitoring are being developed. So, in September 2016, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the retail sale of the MiniMed 670G device. It is a wearable "artificial pancreas" and consists of a glucose meter with a glucose sensor in the form of a patch and an insulin pump that is attached to the skin. To work, patients (over 14 years old) only need to enter data on physical activity and meals into the device.

In a new article, American scientists have presented biosensory inks that can respond to changes in the chemical composition in tissue fluid. Depending on the purpose, the ink changes color: with an increase in glucose levels – from blue to brown, alkalinity – from purple to pink, sodium ions – fluoresce in the ultraviolet range of the spectrum.

Technical details of the project are not disclosed. For example, their durability and commercialization period are unclear. It is known that ink is planned to be used for tattooing and now they are being tested on pig skin.

Portal "Eternal youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru  07.06.2017