Diabetes: creation of a saliva test to replace injections that measure blood sugar | A new non-invasive test strip

Australian scientists of Newcastle University, New South Wales, has developed a non-invasive test for diabetic patients who measures blood sugar through saliva. Thanks to the new device, it will be possible to control blood sugar levels without having to suffer the pains of daily injections.

For people with diabetes, checking their blood sugar usually means pricking their fingers several times a day and then putting a drop of blood on a test strip. This problem causes some patients to decrease the number of tests to avoid the painful process.

The researchers’ solution consists of a strip that incorporates a enzyme to detect glucose on a transistor. The material used is a electronic ink, which means that tests can be produced on a large scale through inexpensive printing.

“This is the holy grail of blood sugar testing because it is non-invasive“said Paul Dastoor, professor of physics at Newcastle University in Australia, who led the team that created it. “Opens the possibility of performing blood glucose tests painless and cheapHe added. “We have developed a test method which is inexpensive, easy to produce and it is 100 times more sensitive than a standard blood sugar test. ”

The project already has a guaranteed budget of $ 4.7 million in Australian funds to install the production circuit. Hundreds of millions of tests will be created, if the first tests answer correctly. Researchers estimate that they could be on the market in about two years.

“I think this will radically change the way we think about medical devices and, in particular, the sensors. Because we can make them using simple printing techniques. Now we are moving towards manufacturing these devices on a large scale, ”says Dastoor, who is convinced that the technology can also be applied to COVID-19, allergens, hormones and cancer tests.

How it works?

When placed on the tongue, glucose oxidase reacts with glucose in saliva to form hydrogen peroxide. Hydrogen peroxide “breaks down” into hydrogen ions which generate an electrical signal, which can be captured, processed and displayed through a mobile phone app.

The ink used in the tests was semiconductor particles, so that electronic designs can be downloaded and printed from an inkjet printer. “Imagine having your own ink at home that allows you to print your own blood sugar test,” the researcher enthuses.

Glucose in saliva exists in minute concentrations, so an “incredibly powerful platform” is needed to detect it. “The saliva it also contains a lot of other substances, so a lot of information has to be discarded to make sure the results are accurate, ”Dastoor acknowledged.