Korean University developed graphene patch to help monitor blood sugar

A patch made of graphene with the ability to " sense " glucose in sweat, could be a new solution for early diagnosis of diabetes. That is the idea of ​​scientists from Seoul National University (Korea).

Connected via wires leading to a mobile electrochemical analyzer , when blood sugar is too high, the patch will release the metformin drug through a microneedles, to lower the way down. Graphene is a thin and flexible material, so it can create comfort for users. When applied to the skin, a micro needle system consists of many tiny needles, which will pierce through your skin, to the subcutaneous tissues. With a diameter of 250 micrometers and 1 mm thick, the device is too small to cause pain.

To release metformin when necessary, a tiny heating element inside the patch will be activated, melting the coating on the needle tips of the microneedles, helping them put metformin into the body. In tests conducted on diabetic mice, the patch proved effective when high glucose levels were detected, then included in an appropriate dose of metformin, which lowered their blood sugar levels. In addition, the product has been tested in two healthy men, and the results show that the measurements of the graphene piece are completely accurate.

The team hopes they can make the patch more suitable, for people to use it every day. " We need to reduce costs and increase the reliability of sensors, for a long time ," said Dae-Hyeong Kim of Seoul National University.

Graphene patches help monitor blood sugar.(Photo: MIT Technology Review)

Treatment for type 2 diabetes usually begins with a diet and exercise, followed by the support of metformin, and finally insulin injections when the disease becomes worse. A non-invasive device with glucose monitoring and drug delivery , is the ultimate goal of this study. Richard Guy of Bath University (UK) said that in the future, the test of glucose by finger injection and insulin injection will no longer be available. The graphene patch is clearly a big step.

Although geared towards a complete solution, the device still has unresolved problems, according to Guy. That is the amount of medicine needed in humans is really too big to be provided by an extremely thin patch. " Even if the device makes a hole in the skin to put the medicine in, I still can't figure out how it will work ." The patch's ability to monitor glucose through the skin is feasible, either in sweat or by other methods such as extracting molecules from the skin. Richard Guy thinks it can take another 5 to 10 years, products created from this smart idea can be completed. Meanwhile, Kim and his colleagues are still studying better ways to provide metformin through the skin.