With a wide
array of features like GPS, depth perception and many health-related features
like BP and ECG monitoring, Smartphones have become indispensable part of our
daily lives. They are the health gadgets of future. But, so far nothing was
much developed for diabetics, other than the use of phone screen to display results of continuous glucose monitoring on the screen.
Engineers at
the University of California San Diego have cleverly integrated a glucose
monitor in the smartphone case and app, that will enable diabetic patients to
record and track their blood glucose readings, whether they’re at home or on
the go.
Currently, there
is no way for people with diabetes to check the blood glucose when they are out
of the house or travelling. They must pack the whole kit and carry it along
with them.
Patrick
Mercier, a professor of electrical and computer engineering at UC San Diego is
the brain behind this new gadget. “Integrating blood glucose sensing into a
smartphone would eliminate the need for patients to carry a separate device,”
said Patrick Mercier, he said in a news release. “An added benefit is the
ability to autonomously store, process and send blood glucose readings from the
phone to a care provider or cloud service.”
The new
device is named GPhone, and has two main parts. A slim, aesthetically designed,
3D printed case that fits over the smartphone with a permanent, reusable sensor
at the top left corner.
The sensor
has to be activated by one-time use enzyme packed pellets that magnetically
attach to the sensor.
To run a
test, a user has to activate the sensor by dispensing a pellet on it, followed by
adding a drop of blood to the now activated sensor. The sensor measures the
glucose concentration and wireless send it via a Bluetooth to a custom designed
android app, that displays the results on the screen.
The user can
communicate the results with his healthcare provider or store it in icloud, to
track it over a long period of time.
The pellet is
discarded after use and the sensor is deactivated. A 3D printed stylus with
capacity of 30 pellets store them, and remains attached to the side of the
case.
The pellet
contains enzyme called glucose oxidase which reacts with glucose and generates
an electrical signal in proportion to glucose levels that is picked by the
sensor’s electrode.
The work is
currently at proof of concept stage. Joseph Wang, nanoengineering
professor and his other colleagues dream of integrating the monitor with the
smartphone instead of case. They are also working currently to reduce the amount
of blood needed for testing and bringing down the cost of the pellets, which
are costlier than usual test strips.
The work was
recently published in Biosensors and Bioelectronics.
All Media: Courtesy UC San Diego Newsletter
