On the go blood glucose monitoring by inbuilt Glucometer in Smartphone Case

With a wide array of features like GPS, depth perception and many health-related features like BP and ECG monitoring, Smartphones have become indispensable part of our daily lives. They are the health gadgets of future. But, so far nothing was much developed for diabetics, other than the use of  phone screen to display results of continuous glucose monitoring on the screen.

Engineers at the University of California San Diego have cleverly integrated a glucose monitor in the smartphone case and app, that will enable diabetic patients to record and track their blood glucose readings, whether they’re at home or on the go.

Currently, there is no way for people with diabetes to check the blood glucose when they are out of the house or travelling. They must pack the whole kit and carry it along with them.

Patrick Mercier, a professor of electrical and computer engineering at UC San Diego is the brain behind this new gadget. “Integrating blood glucose sensing into a smartphone would eliminate the need for patients to carry a separate device,” said Patrick Mercier, he said in a news release. “An added benefit is the ability to autonomously store, process and send blood glucose readings from the phone to a care provider or cloud service.”

The new device is named GPhone, and has two main parts. A slim, aesthetically designed, 3D printed case that fits over the smartphone with a permanent, reusable sensor at the top left corner.

The sensor has to be activated by one-time use enzyme packed pellets that magnetically attach to the sensor.

To run a test, a user has to activate the sensor by dispensing a pellet on it, followed by adding a drop of blood to the now activated sensor. The sensor measures the glucose concentration and wireless send it via a Bluetooth to a custom designed android app, that displays the results on the screen.

The user can communicate the results with his healthcare provider or store it in icloud, to track it over a long period of time.

The pellet is discarded after use and the sensor is deactivated. A 3D printed stylus with capacity of 30 pellets store them, and remains attached to the side of the case.

The pellet contains enzyme called glucose oxidase which reacts with glucose and generates an electrical signal in proportion to glucose levels that is picked by the sensor’s electrode.

The work is currently at proof of concept stage. Joseph Wang, nanoengineering professor and his other colleagues dream of integrating the monitor with the smartphone instead of case. They are also working currently to reduce the amount of blood needed for testing and bringing down the cost of the pellets, which are costlier than usual test strips.

The work was recently published in Biosensors and Bioelectronics.

UC San DiegoNewsletter

Journal Abstract 

All Media: Courtesy UC San Diego Newsletter