Diabetes patch technology aiming to eliminate finger prick test

Most diabetics need a finger prick test several times a day to determine whether their blood sugar level is under control.

But the developers of this transparent patch with its electric circuits and tiny gold plates claim that they will soon be freed from this painful routine.

The device allegedly allows diabetics to easily monitor their blood sugar levels and the medication to be injected when and wherever necessary.

Dae-Hyeong Kim, Professor of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Seoul National University had an interview with the Euronews team to discuss how the technology has enrolled.

“Diabetics are very reluctant to measure blood sugar, or get an insulin shot in public. This creates a problem with the management of that disease. Things which a diabetic should take care of on a daily basis are often only done once a fortnight. This technology makes the diabetes management painless. It’s also not visible to others and less stressful,” Kim said.

The sensors of the patch send the data collected from the patient’s sweat to a smartphone app which makes calculations based on the sweat-based data. If the app judges that the patient needs medication, then the micro-needles embedded in the patch deliver the drug.

Developers who claim the thin micro-needles cause hardly any pain to the patient are now looking ahead.

“I think that the diabetes patch can enter the market within a short time after the technical development stabilizes and a process for mass production is established. Nevertheless, in order to commercialise the patch, new plants should be built, production lines should be established, and we still need to get certified. The patch needs to go through animal testing and clinical demonstration because drug from the patch is injected into the body, and I think it will take more than five years to complete this process,” he continued.

According to World Health Organization, diabetes affects around 422 million adults worldwide, killing 1.5 million people each year.

Euronews