The Daily Telegraph

Smartphone rings change for finger-prick diabetic tests

- By Francesca Marshall

PATIENTS suffering from diabetes may soon be able to measure glucose levels through their smartwatch or phone.

Scientists from the University of Bath have created a patch to measure glucose levels through the skin, potentiall­y removing the need for millions of diabetics to carry out finger-prick blood tests.

The inventors hope the patch will become a low-cost, wearable sensor that sends regular glucose measuremen­ts to a phone or smartwatch wirelessly, alerting patients to take action.

Prof Richard Guy, from the university’s department of pharmacy and pharmacolo­gy, said: “A non-invasive – that is, needle-less – method to monitor blood sugar has proved a difficult goal to attain.

“The monitor developed at Bath promises a truly calibratio­n-free approach, an essential contributi­on in the fight to combat the ever-increasing global incidence of diabetes.”

Originally tested on pig skin, the patch proved it was able to accurately track glucose levels across the range seen in diabetic human patients, and on healthy human volunteers.

The patch works by drawing out glucose from between cells across hair follicles that are then accessed through a set of miniature sensors using a small electric current.

The invention would allow diabetics to avoid finger-prick blood tests as the array of sensors on the patch mean it does not require calibratio­n with a blood sample.

The team now plans to refine the patch to optimise the number of sensors and demonstrat­e the patch is capable of working over a 24-hour period.

In the UK, just under six per cent of adults have diabetes but up to 50 per cent of adults with the disorder are undiagnose­d.

Research was funded by the Engineerin­g and Physical Sciences Research Council, the Medical Research Council, and the Sir Halley Stewart Trust.

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