Coin-Sized Wearable Bioelectronic Sensor to Detect Blood Sugar Levels

The University of Hong Kong has developed a coin-sized wearable bioelectronic sensor to monitor blood sugar levels as well as other heath conditions. HKU

There are many kinds of home intelligent health monitoring devices for diabetics. Traditional blood sugar measuring devices require taking blood samples. There are also a number of mobile devices that do not need blood samples, but instead take readings from a sensor implanted under the skin.

Recently, a team at the University of Hong Kong has developed a miniature blood sugar monitoring system named PERfECT that does full-time monitoring, does not need a sensor implant or blood samples, and can be taped directly to the wrist.

The research team of the Faculty of Engineering of the University of Hong Kong (HKU) has developed a coin-sized micro-bioelectronic sensing system PERfECT. By wearing it on the wrist, it can read the weak electrochemical signals of our body, to monitor and measure diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and mental health condition.

The system is actually a patch sensor called PERfECT (Personalized Electronic Reader for Electrochemical Transistors).

It is the world’s smallest and lightest system of its kind, measuring 1.5 cm x 1.5 cm x 0.2 cm thick (0.59 inch by 0.59 inch by 0.08 inch thick) and weighings only 0.4 grams (0.014 oz).

The size of the sensor. Research published in the Journal Analytical Chemistry. HKU

It can be easily attached to wearable smartwatches or secured by medical tape to continuously detect health signals, including glucose levels, viral antibody concentrations in blood, and even sweat.

Its data sampling rate is said to be as high as 200,000 times per second, comparable to bulky commercial equipment but is estimated to cost as little as one-tenth the price.

These research results have been published in the Journal of Analytical Chemistry.

“We have been able to develop the PERfECT system because of the unique, interdisciplinary culture in the HKU WISE Research Group, which includes researchers from electrical engineering, applied chemistry, biomedical engineering, microelectronics, and software engineering,” said Dr. Shiming Zhang of the Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering of HKU who led the research and development.

“Our wearable system is tiny, soft, and imperceptible to wearers, and it can do continuous monitoring of our body condition. These features mean it has the potential to revolutionize healthcare technology,” he said.

He hopes to promote the transition from “hospital-centric” to “human-centric” healthcare by developing next-generation intelligent, wearable, and soft electronics technologies.

The research team has set up a start-up company to bring this new technology to the market, to help diabetes detect blood sugar value without pricking for a blood sample.