Lab-on-a-Chip Device for Measuring Glucose Levels

Strict monitoring of blood glucose levels is often required throughout the day for patients with diabetes. Currently, patients are required to prick their finger for a drop of blood for measurement on a glucose meter. Using a combined fiber optic biosensor and microfluidic chip, researchers from the Hong Kong Polytechnic University and Zhejiang University in China recently created a portable, ultrasensitive, low-cost device for measuring glucose levels from a drop of sweat. The chip allows for compartmentalized movement and mixture of fluids in miniscule channels (microfluidics) and detection of electrochemical properties in the fluid with light sensor technology (optics). Unlike previous chips, this optofluidic device overcomes interference problems and allows for highly sensitive detection of glucose down to one nanomolar with a detection range up to 10,000 times and a response time of 70 seconds. This product not only promises to improve management and early diagnosis of diabetes, it also represents a significant stride toward developing optofluidic devices for medical diagnostics, environmental monitoring, and drug development.

Fiber optic biosensor-integrated microfluidic chip detects glucose levels from droplets of sweat. Credit: Dr. A. P. Zhang and team, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University

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