My mother is diabetic and while she has to prick her fingers multiple times per day to check glucose levels, she doesn’t have to give herself injections. For the numerous diabetics out there that have to prick fingers and give themselves insulin shots, diabetes can be a big pain. A new wearable device is in the works that will make diabetes easier to manage.
The device is made using graphene infused with gold particles. The stretchy band monitors blood glucose level using the wearer’s sweat. When high glucose levels are detected, it uses microinjections to deliver metformin, a medication that controls glucose levels.
The patch consists of a heater, temperature, humidity, glucose and pH sensors and polymeric microneedles that can be thermally activated to deliver drugs transcutaneously.
The catch is that the device needs to be ramped up to deliver human size doses of medications. For now, it only delivers tiny doses that work in mice. In the future, the wearable might both monitor glucose levels and deliver meds automatically when needed to control them.
[via Popsci]
