[acb-diabetics] FW: Future Cures

[Patricia LaFrance-Wolf]

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From: Dave Myers [mailto:kelseyminer at charter.net] 
Sent: Sunday, October 16, 2011 11:49 AM
To: Rayanne Myers 
Cc: 'Patricia LaFrance-Wolf'
Subject: Future Cures

 

Thought you might find this interesting. Some sort of non-invasive glucose
monitoring system is needed for diabetics, especially when they are in a
hospital environment, particularly ICU and when undergoing surgery or
surgery-like procedures.
DLM 

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>From AARP Magazine September/October 2011

Future Cures - A Decade Away

 

Glucose-monitoring tattoos

 

You thought tattoos were just for punk rockers and Harley-Davidson fans?
Think again. Heather Clark, Ph.D., associate professor of pharmaceutical
sciences at Northeastern University in Boston, has developed a tattoo that
can monitor your blood sugar without constant needle pricks-a huge
advancement for the 26 million Americans with diabetes.

 

The miniature tattoo-only a few millimeters in size-is made of nano-sensors:
tiny polymer beads containing a yellow-orange dye that lights up when
glucose levels are high and darkens as glucose levels drop. While
traditional tattoos permanently stain the deeper layers of the skin, the
diabetes tattoo is applied to more superficial skin layers, so its
application is less painful and it wears off over time.

 

"The plan is to have tattoos applied once a week," says Clark. Patients will
use a handheld device to scan the tattoo several times a day for color
changes to guide their insulin use.

 

Clark's team has tracked glucose levels in tattooed mice with diabetes,
confirming these results with blood tests they took at the same time. If
upcoming clinical trials in humans pan out, the tattoos could be on the
market in a decade.

 



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