Brazilian Scientists Have Designed Special Glasses for Patients with Diabetes
Brazilian and American scientists have designed a biosensor that can measure blood sugar level by analyzing tear fluid in a human. Thus, patients with diabetes will not have to constantly take their blood to keep track of it, reports the tvbrics.com correspondent with a reference to SciDev.Net.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the number of patients with diabetes constantly increases. Today, about 380 million people around the world have diabetes. And by 2035, this number can grow up to 580 million people.
Many people with this disease use a portable glucose meter to measure blood sugar level and pierce their fingertips to take blood several times a day. In addition to pain, it can also lead to infection.
Scientists from the Brazilian University of São Paulo, together with their colleagues from the University of California San Diego, have created a biosensor covered with an enzyme – glucose oxidase. It is attached to nose pads of glasses. When tear fluid reacts with glucose oxidase, electrical circuit closes. The device on glasses processes a signal and sends result to a computer or a smartphone.
By replacing an electrode, you can use the device for measurement of level of vitamins and alcohol in blood. Besides, using the same approach, researchers from the University of São Paulo have developed a biosensor that can find symptoms of some chronic diseases and diagnose cancer.