Keep an eye on diabetes

Chip in body to keep an eye on diabetes

Source: Mail Today Science Bureau in New Delhi



A CHIP implanted under your skin will soon be able to constantly monitor blood glucose levels and transmit the information to a wireless device outside, scientists announced on Wednesday.

The new gizmo could prove to be of great help to diabetics who need to constantly check their blood sugar levels so that they can take insulin doses accordingly. The device has been tested in animals and would go in for human clinical trials in a few months.

The implantable sensor — the size of a small button — is capable of long- term monitoring of tissue glucose concentrations and conveys the information to an outside device or even to a cell phone.

The sensor, developed by bioengineers at the University of California, San Diego, has been tested in diabetic pigs for up to 520 days.

The study results will appear in scientific journal Science Translational Medicine on Thursday.

The sensor is capable of detecting glucose via an enzyme electrode. Glucose and oxygen from the surrounding tissue diffuse to the sensor, where the enzyme glucose oxidase carries out a chemical reaction in which oxygen is consumed in proportion to how much glucose is present.

The remaining oxygen is measured and compared with the baseline oxygen recorded by a nearly identical oxygen reference sensor. The reduced oxygen signal compared with background oxygen signal reflects the glucose concentration.

The implant used in the animal studies was about 1.5 inches in diameter and 5/ 8 of an inch thick, and could be implanted in a simple outpatient procedure.

“ You can run the device for a year or more with it constantly working, and recording glucose quite satisfactorily.

Now we are focused on getting the human clinical trials going,” said David Gough, who led the research team. “ If all goes well with the human clinical trials, we anticipate that in several years, this device could be purchased under prescription from a physician.” The glucose sensor could be useful for people with either Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes.

People with Type 1 diabetes do not make enough insulin on their own.

The sensor could be used to adjust the insulin dose and timing the injection, and reduce the risk of taking too much insulin and becoming hypoglycaemic, which can be immediately life threatening.

Hypoglycaemia occurs when you get too much insulin for the available glucose, or when insulin absorbs too rapidly.

People with Type 2 diabetes could use the sensor to help them adjust their diet and exercise schedule.