Color-Shifting Contact Lenses Alert Diabetics to Glucose Levels [Contacts]

Diabetics are saddled with the unenviable task of checking their blood sugar levels constantly. But a new non-invasive technology lets diabetics keep tabs on their glucose levels with contact lenses that change colors as their blood sugar rises and falls.

Nanoparticles — is there anything they can't do? — embedded in the hydrogel lenses react with glucose molecules in naturally occurring tears. A chemical reaction then causes the lenses to shift their hues, alerting the wearer to falling or spiking blood sugar levels. The wearer can then make the appropriate adjustments to his or her blood sugar, all without having to carry around (and use) devices for drawing and analyzing blood.

U. of Western Ontario Professor Jin Zhang has just collected $216,000 from the Canada Foundation for Innovation as a result of the breakthrough process to develop other applications for multifunctional nanocomposites, which can be used in everything from biomedicine to food preservation to packaging. We think a head-up display for glucose levels is pretty good, but if nanocomposites can also make the packaging on that blood-sugar-leveling candy bar biodegrade more quickly, all the better.

[Gizmodo via Institute of Nanotechnology]

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Bayer's New Blood Glucose Meter With USB Connectivity

Bayer has recently released the CONTOUR USB blood glucose meter that plugs directly into a Windows or Mac computer for uploading of readings for later analysis and for sharing them with your doctor. The device shows readings on the screen and you can mark whether they were taken before or after a meal. Conveniently, there's also about 500 megabytes of empty storage space on the unit, so it can be used as a traditional USB thumbdrive as well.

A bright color display screen visible in any light that shows average, high and low readings with

Customizable features such as intuitive pre- and post-meal marking

500MB extra memory for storage of personal diabetes information

Rechargeable battery that can charge from any USB port or via the CONTOUR USB wall charger provided

Glucofacts™ DELUXE diabetes management software

Here's Grandfather Walter Mossberg's review of the CONTOUR USB at the Wall Street Journal:

More from Walt Mossberg...
[Medgadget via CONTOUR® USB...]

GlucoTrack Ear Lobe Non Invasive Glucometer [Diabetes]

Amy Tenderich of DiabetesMine recently met a representative of Integrity Applications, an Ashkelon, Israel firm that has developed the GlucoTrack non-invasive blood glucose monitor. The device, which we profiled about four years ago when it was still in prototype stage, uses ultrasound, conductivity and heat capacity in an ear clip sensor to take glucose readings in a matter of seconds. Integrity recently received European approval for the GlucoTrack and is now waiting for FDA's blessings to market in the US.

From DiabetesMine:

But even on the existing non-continuous model, the key question of course is how accurate is it? That’s the deal-breaker, because who’s going to switch to something less accurate than what we already have? The bottom line is that right now, Integrity’s data show that GlucoTrack is more accurate than other non-invasive technologies, but not as consistently accurate as current fingerstick meters.

“We’re working to improve that. Our technology uses three different measurements simultaneously, and then correlates and averages the results for more precise readings,” Avner tells me.

“Fine,” I reply, “But the big advantage of a device like this is doing away with the need for test strips. That only works if you’re accurate enough so people (who take insulin!) don’t need to do fingersticks alongside the ear measurements.”

Naturally they’re feverishly gathering data. Even with improved numbers, they cannot predict whether the FDA would move GlucoTrack out of the “adjunctive therapy” category (a device to be used for extra information only).

Read on at DiabetesMine...

Product page: GlucoTrack...
Flashback: The GlucoTrack

[Medgadget]