Needle free glucose monitoring a step closer for diabetics

Date:
November 10, 2021
Source:
University of Auckland
Summary:
A needle-free technology that would allow people with diabetes to
measure blood sugar levels without having to stick a needle into
their fingertips is a step closer to reality.



FULL STORY ==========================================================================
A needle-free technology that would allow people with diabetes to measure
blood sugar levels without having to stick a needle into their fingertips,
has been bought closer to reality by researchers at the Auckland
Bioengineering Institute (ABI), University of Auckland, New Zealand.


==========================================================================
The researchers turned their attentions to needle-free jet injection,
an emerging but well-developed technique in which a drug is delivered
directly with a high-speed narrow jet of fluid. In a study published in
the Journal of Diabetes Science and Technology, led by ABI researchers
Jiali Xu and James McKeage, researchers demonstrated for the first
time that a jet injector could also be used to collect blood samples
from humans -- that is, release enough blood for glucose sampling,
sans needles.

People with diabetes typically need to measure their blood glucose concentration several times each day. They do so by pricking their fingers
with a needle to release a drop of blood. A glluclose meter then indicated
how much insulin is required for the person to maintain their blood sugar.

Fingertips are the preferred site for blood sampling because they have a
high density of blood vessels. But the fingertips are also sensitive, and
pain, skin damage, bruising and risk of infection from regular 'pricking'
has spurred increasing efforts to develop needle-free methods of blood
testing for people with diabetes.

Jet injection has been the subject of years of research by the ABI Bioinstrumentation Lab at the ABI, University of Auckland, which
includes developing jet injectors for delivering drugs such as insulin, nicotine, and as local anaesthetic for dental treatment.Ms Xu and her
team demonstrated that the technology could also be used to pierce the
skin with a small volume of harmless saline solution, and this would
release enough blood for glucose concentration measurement -- that is,
for extraction rather than injection.

The study involved 20 healthy participants, who each volunteered four fingertips, each of whom received a lancet prick (the standard needle) and
jet injection through three differently shaped and sized nozzles. "These
were were designed to mimic the wound left from a lancet prick, in the anticipation that it might release blood in a way similar to a lancet
prick," says Ms Xu.

The study showed that indeed it did, with some nozzle shapes performing
better than others -- a 'slot' shaped nozzle released more blood
than a circle-shaped nozzle, for instance. Most of the different jet
injection nozzles were generally perceived as no more painful than a
standard lancet, and in some cases, less so: participants were blinded
by an opaque barrier that prevented them from seeing the procedure but
allowed them to communicate with the practitioner. They were also asked
to complete a questionnaire 24 hours later, to reassess the level of pain, swelling or bruising.

"When you know there's not a device that is pricking your skin, you could speculate that people will find jet injection more acceptable," says
Professor Andrew Taberner, head of the Bioinstrumentation Lab at the ABI,
and Ms Xu's supervisor. "But we don't have evidence to back that up. That wasn't part of this study. We were first trying to find out if it worked,
and it did." He was pleased, but not surprised. "Diesel mechanics have
known for years that you should never put your finger in front of a fuel injector, because it will inject fuel into your finger. They found this
out the hard way. But we're taking advantage of what diesel mechanics discovered accidentally years ago, with a very small amount of harmless
liquid, to deliberately release blood." The team is now investigating if
they can use jet injection not only to release blood, but to suck back,
to extract fluid. This would allow for the design of an even smaller
nozzle. They have the technology, having developed the world's first jet injection device that uses electric motors to pressurise the drug - -
this allows for more precise control than the more common spring-actuated
jet injector.

"Our technology has the capability to both deliver and withdraw fluid. No
other jet projection technology has that capacity," says Dr Taberner.

Research into needle-free injections is a long game, as is the potential commercialisation of the technology he says, but he believes Ms Xu's
research will contribute to the ultimate aim, of the development of
a single lancet-free reversible technology that will allow for both
blood sampling and insulin delivery based on the glucose measurement
in one device. "I hope that this research will contribute to that,
and the improvement in human healthcare, especially in the management
of diabetes," says Ms Xu.

========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by University_of_Auckland. Note:
Content may be edited for style and length.


========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. Jiali Xu, James W. McKeage, Bryan P. Ruddy, Poul M. F. Nielsen,
Andrew J.

Taberner. Jet-Induced Blood Release From Human Fingertips: A Single-
Blind, Randomized, Crossover Trial. Journal of Diabetes Science
and Technology, 2021; 193229682110538 DOI: 10.1177/19322968211053895 ==========================================================================

Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/11/211110131549.htm

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