Madrid, Oct 5 (Europa Press) -
Researchers from the Institute of Industrial Science of the University of Tokyo (Japan) have designed a scarcely invasive glucose control device that quickly provides continuous measures of blood glucose levels when they were implanted in mice ears.
People with diabetes use especially the puncture method in the finger yolk to collect blood samples for glucose control.However, this method usually requires that people are awake and only provide specific measures of sugar levels.
The researchers, led by Shoji Takeuchi, manufactured injectable microcapsules wrapped with a glucose -sensitive fluorescent dye that provides a continuous reading of glucose levels measured from the intensity of fluorescence that is recorded through the skin.
The authors implemented the microcapsules under the skin of the ear of mice whose blood glucose levels were altered experimentally.Then, they compared the glucose levels calculated from the fluorescence with the measurements directly of blood samples.
The microcapsules provided reliable measures of glucose levels without visibly affecting the health of mice during the 30 days that were controlled by this method.
The researchers point out that since fluorescent microcapsules do not require external links or energy sources to provide reading, they could be used to manufacture minimally invasive glucose sensors for people who must follow continuous control of their blood glucose levels.