The Pharmaceutical Journal
Vol 269 No 7218 p477
5 October 2002

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Tattoo may be used to monitor glucose

A tattoo that could be used to monitor glucose levels in patients with diabetes is being developed by researchers in the United States.

Professor Gerry Coté, Texas A&M University, told The Journal that the tattoo involves implanting fluorescent biocompatible microspheres under the skin. He explained that as the concentration of glucose changes, the level of fluorescence of the microspheres will change. "An external device, like a watch, could then potentially be used to measure this change in fluorescence as a non-invasive measure of blood glucose," he said.

However, Professor Coté added that it will be a few years before such a system would be available commercially. Animal studies using the tattoo are under way.