Critical-depth Raman spectroscopy enables home-use non-invasive glucose monitoring

PLoS One. 2018 May 11;13(5):e0197134. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0197134. eCollection 2018.

Abstract

One of the most ambitious endeavors in the field of diabetes technology is non-invasive glucose sensing. In the past decades, a number of different technologies have been assessed, but none of these have found its entry into general clinical use. We report on the development of a table-top confocal Raman spectrometer that was used in the home of patients with diabetes and operated for extended periods of time unsupervised and without recalibration. The system is based on measurement of glucose levels at a 'critical depth' in the skin, specifically in the interstitial fluid located below the stratum corneum but above the underlying adipose tissue layer. The region chosen for routine glucose measurements was the base of the thumb (the thenar). In a small clinical study, 35 patients with diabetes analyzed their interstitial fluid glucose for a period of 60 days using the new critical-depth Raman (CD-Raman) method and levels were correlated to reference capillary blood glucose values using a standard finger-stick and test strip product. The calibration of the CD-Raman system was stable for > 10 days. Measurement performance for glucose levels present at, or below, a depth of ~250μm below the skin surface was comparable to that reported for currently available invasive continuous glucose monitors. In summary, using the CD-Raman technology we have demonstrated the first successful use of a non-invasive glucose monitor in the home.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Blood Glucose / metabolism*
  • Blood Glucose Self-Monitoring / instrumentation
  • Blood Glucose Self-Monitoring / methods
  • Diabetes Mellitus / blood*
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Spectrum Analysis, Raman* / instrumentation
  • Spectrum Analysis, Raman* / methods

Substances

  • Blood Glucose

Grants and funding

RSP Systems funded this work and the decision to publish was made by the company. RSP Systems provided support in the form of salaries for authors SMLN, AP, SOB and AW, but did not have any additional role in the study design, data collection and analysis, or preparation of the manuscript. The specific roles of these authors are articulated in the ‘author contributions’ section. This project has received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 738973.