Novel Device Measures Glucose in Urine

A device has been developed that can measure glucose in blood through the urine in the toilet, and it activates via smart phone bluetooth, recording the values on a daily basis.

One of the values taken into account for the design was the pain caused by the use of needles for monitoring glucose in blood, which is partly responsible of why patients with diabetes do not keep proper control of their disease.

Two young technologists at the Chihuahua Institute of Technology (Mexico) developed the device which has achieved international recognition, included being one of the 10 most outstanding creations among innovators under 35 delivered by the MIT Tech Review; it also won the Global Innovation Competition for Science and Technology for the Benefit of Mankind (GIST Tech-I), an initiative promoted by the US President, where the team competed against 900 technological developments from all over the world.

The device is called the Glucosalarm (Brownsville, TX, USA) and it uses two 70 mL bottles, one contains an enzyme and the other one contains a cleaning solution, which last for 140 measurements and are easily replaceable. The device uses a light sensor that detects the frequency of glucose in urine and measures it in 15 to 40 seconds. Only one drop of urine is needed and this can be done when the patient uses the toilet and there is no need for painful blood testing. Another reason for not having a constant monitoring is the cost. A glucometer costs less than USD 30, but the test strips are expensive, as well as needles and needle holders, which is money that is not available to everyone. Glucosalarm will cost approximately USD 120 to USD 140 and the readings will cost less than a penny per measurement.

Currently, the device is in the third prototype and tests are performed with patients. It also has a patent in Mexico and the United States, and two medical device companies with international presence have shown interest in manufacturing it. Glucosalarm is expected to be released in the USA and Mexico in late 2016 and early 2017, once the necessary authorizations are obtained from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA, Silver Springs, MD, USA) and the Mexican Federal Commission for the Protection against Sanitary Risk (COFEPRIS; Benito Juárez, Mexico).

Related Links:
Chihuahua Institute of Technology
GlucosAlarm 
US Food and Drug Administration