Glucose minimally invasive monitoring

Fewer than 10% of patients with diabetes routinely perform SMBG because it is painful and inconvenient Since the 1960s, attempts have been made to develop a painless method for monitoring blood glucose concentrations. Three general approaches have been used, namely implanted sensors, minimally invasive monitoring, and noninvasive monitoring. 

Sieg, A., R.H. Guy, and M.B. Delgado-Charro. 2005. Noninvasive and minimally invasive methods for transdermal glucose monitoring. Diabetes Technol Ther 7 174. 

Wang PM, Cornwell M, Prausnitz MR. Minimally invasive extraction of dermal interstitial fluid for glucose monitoring using microneedles. Diabetes Technology Therapeutics 2005, 7, 131-141. 

Transdermal emission spectra were successfully collected from sensors implanted approximately 500 pm below the skin surface. In addition, a bolus injection of glucose into the tail vein resulted in measurable spectral changes from the implants. This important developmental step proved some feasibility of the smart tattoo concept as a means of monitoring glucose in a minimally invasive manner. 

Because of the objective difficulties of the non-invasive approaches, another way to perform in vivo continuous monitoring has been to adopt the so-called minimally invasive methods, which measure the glucose concentration in the interstitial fluid of the skin. One of these is the insertion of a needle-shaped glucose biosensor directly into the subcutaneous tissue another is to insert just the microdialysis probe under the skin, while the determination of the metabolite occurs just outside the body. 

The ideal glucose monitoring system should be non invasive, should allow continuous or frequent monitoring over long periods without the need to replace the changeable parts (strip, transdermal patch, etc.), should interfere minimally with daily life, and, last but not least, should be low in cost. 

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