Innovative Saliva-Based Glucose Sensor to Revolutionize Diabetes Monitoring::An innovative device could pave the way for more convenient diabetes monitoring. A prototype sensor that measures glucose levels in saliva could eventually offer a simple, rapid, and painless way for people to monitor their diabetes, according to the King Abdullah University of Science & Tech
Realistically cheaper monitoring would be more revolutionary than it being painless. There are already painless methods of monitoring blood sugar but the initial and ongoing costs of doing so can be a hurdle.
mvirts@lemmy.world 1 year ago
Lol… A bit late ya? I already have glucose readings every 5 minutes. Maybe it’ll revolutionize someone’s bank account when they market it as fingerstick free, but dexcom already does that.
hardware26@discuss.tchncs.de 1 year ago
Maybe accuracy could be a selling point but it isnt mentioned in the linked article (maybe mentioned in their paper?). Fingerstick-free methods which measure it from surface have relatively lower accuracy. Also what is measures is not the blood but interstitial glucose level so it is delayed. But the correlation and delay of saliva glucose levels against blood glucose levels is also not mentioned. I hope this research can pave the way for something beneficial eventually.
mvirts@lemmy.world 1 year ago
It is definitely an interesting idea. I’ve lived through failed promises of glucose readings contact lenses and watches, I’m not sure exactly why they fail but it’s made me pessimistic about things like that. I think anything new will have a hard time competing with current cgms unless it can be worn continuously for a month and/or doesn’t puncture the skin at all. For the type 1 market, patients already have to puncture the skin all the time to deliver insulin and most get used to it. The interstitial fluid measurement seems to be standard for cgms, so it’s on par in that regard.
zeppo@lemmy.world 1 year ago
The Dexcom isn’t always right though. They claim “no fingersticks” and “no calibration required” and both of those claims are complete bullshit.
mvirts@lemmy.world 1 year ago
Not so, I literally haven’t needed to do a fingerstick since I got the g6. They come calibrated and as long as you can go 3 hrs between sensors without testing you’re good to go. Maybe for someone with a different activity level this would change, but for some people no fingersticks is a reality.
SmashingSquid@notyour.rodeo 1 year ago
Getting a saliva sample sounds messier than blood too. I’d rather more invasive but longer term stuff. Something implantable like eversense but more accurate and no calibrations needed ever would be better than changing a sensor every 10 days and waiting for it to be accurate.
zeppo@lemmy.world 1 year ago
I’m really sure that spitting on something is easier than stabbing yourself with a pin.