As anyone with diabetes can tell you, pricking your finger several times a day to monitor blood sugar is no fun. But a recent study reports that a painless method of getting these essential measurements may be on the way.
Diabetics monitor their blood sugar so they’ll know when to take insulin. Up to now, this has to be done by pricking the finger and squeezing a drop of blood onto a test strip, But according to Robert Gabbay, MD, PhD, of the Pennsylvania State University’s School of Medicine, a new method using ultrasound may get rid of most of these finger-sticks.
“This method involves no needles and is completely painless,” reports Dr. Gabbay. “We hope that by developing this new painless method for measuring blood glucose we can help patients achieve better glucose control.”
Gabbay is part of an international research team that’s been developing the new technique. The group has found a way to temporarily open the protective barrier formed by the outer layer of the skin, using a single burst of ultrasound about as strong as that used by dentists to clean teeth. This burst allows glucose to cross the skin and be measured with a device worn on the forearm.
The device was tested on rats to make sure it doesn’t damage the skin, and then on seven human volunteers with type 1 diabetes. The researchers had the volunteers wear the device while they measured glucose in blood samples for comparison. The results were pretty consistent, suggesting that the ultrasound device is accurate.
A user would calibrate the device once by doing a finger stick measurement, and then be able to monitor blood sugar continuously for up to 15 hours.
The volunteers reported no pain while using the device, and there was no apparent damage to their skin. The researchers are doing more safety studies now.
The team is also developing a hand-held device that so patients will be able to do their own blood testing, reports Dr. Gabbay. The researchers hope that in the future, the device could be combined with system to deliver insulin when the monitor indicates it’s needed.
The idea of getting rid of finger sticks AND insulin shots will certainly keep diabetics hoping that this research program is a success!