Liz Hartley of Athens, Ohio, is beginning to show the signs of the daily distress on her fingers. She checks her blood sugar four to six times a day, pricking her finger each time to get a drop of blood for testing. I wish there was an easier way. Liz may soon get her wish. Researchers at Ohio University are developing a test that could put an end to the finger prick routine by creating a blood glucose test that doesn't require a blood sample.
Scientists currently use light as a probe to study chemical molecules.
The molecules respond to the energy from the light in a characteristic way and give researchers information about the molecule's make-up. It turns out glucose molecules will absorb light that has specific energies. Small and his research partner, Mark Arnold at the University of Iowa, have used this new information to create a way to measure blood glucose by passing a beam of light through tissues in the body. Small measures the amount of light before it passes through the body tissue, and the amount present afterward. That tells us that the glucose molecule has absorbed the light.