A new biological device has been invented by engineers at Brown University in the USA which can measure the levels of glucose in saliva as opposed to blood, eliminating the need for diabetics to prick themselves in order to check their glucose levels.
The new sensor, which is currently being further developed, uses nanotechnology to measure the interaction between electrons and light in order to measure the concentration of glucose molecules in saliva/water. Until now it has been difficult to measure the levels of glucose in saliva as they are around 100 times less concentrated than the levels in blood.
The team of engineers are planning to build more devices to further test the ability to measure glucose levels in saliva and produce a test with higher sensitivity than the current blood tests for diabetes.
