Technology has expanded the healthcare approach. It has advanced human response to diseases. Scientists have now claimed to discover a device that can monitor glucose levels using sweat. The US scientists said that the device is nothing but wearable. It can measure glucose levels using sweat on the skin. It will do away with the requirement of needles. For now, it is essential to draw blood to check glucose levels in the blood. The small needles are used to poke a finger to collect dots of blood. The sample is then collected on a strip and inserted into a blood glucose meter. But the new wearable will change the traditional method. Scientists claimed that it is a first of its kind glucose monitoring device.
Pennsylvania State University constructed researchers said that the device comes with laser-induced graphene. It is a material that has atom-thick carbon layers. It has different shapes. They said that it proved to be an ideal framework for a sensing device. Researchers said that the concentration of glucose level in sweat is almost 100 times less than blood. They said that the device is enough sensitive to measure the glucose level in sweat. They claimed that the device measures the levels accurately. The concentration in sweat reflects the same level of glucose concentration in blood. They used nickel-gold alloy. This allowed researchers to exclude enzymes. Enzymes are commonly used to measure glucose levels in devices that are easily available in the market.
Researchers said that they attached a microfluidic chamber to the alloy. It is then attached to an inlet to allow the passage of sweat into an alkaline solution. This prevents the solution to touch the skin. If the alkaline solution touches with skin, it can cause damage to the skin and also affect the functionality of the wearable. This solution then interacts with the glucose molecules in the sweat. This process produces a compound to react with the alloy. After this, an electrical signal is triggered. This indicates the actual concentration of glucose level in the sweat. Researchers said that the device is reusable. It can be attached to a person’s arm.
