Problem
Diabetics currently have to poke themselves several times a day to take a sample of their blood to measure their glucose levels. A non-invasive test would be safer and reduce discomfort.
A few companies have developed non-invasive glucose meters that spot sugar by its spectroscopic signature. But the results have been poor, mainly because other substances in the blood such as some fats have a similar signature and interfere with the results.
Smart Solution
Several years ago, scientists discovered that the amount of carbon monoxide that we breathe out is linked to the amount of glucose in our blood.
This is thought to be because excess glucose stimulates the production of an enzyme called heme oxygenase, which catalyses reactions that release CO2 and other by-products.
The giant consumer electronics company Philips has used this principle and patented an idea for a non-invasive blood glucose meter that monitors the concentration of carbon monoxide in exhaled breath as a proxy for blood glucose levels.
See glucose breath test patent application and New Scientist story
Tomorrow: A smart universal breathalyzer detector for disease biomarkers 08-068
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