Applied Nanodetectors Develops Needle-free ‘Breathalyser’ for Daily Diabetes Testing

Applied Nanodetectors Ltd is developing a simple breathalyser that will give diabetics a non-invasive method for monitoring their daily glucose levels and has the potential to replace the ‘prick test’ methods used today.
 
Diabetes is one of the biggest health challenges in the world today and despite many advances in disease treatment, the prevalence of diabetes is increasing dramatically. Glucose monitoring is an essential requirement of disease management; however, effective and routine monitoring remains a constant challenge, primarily because of the invasive nature of glucose monitoring devices.
 
Taking a blood sample remains an unpleasant experience and one of the main causes of poor patient compliance. This is particular acute for young sufferers, for whom daily blood tests are perhaps most traumatic. A non-invasive handheld breath test device would significantly improve patient monitoring and self-management. However, current devices are yet to meet a price point that facilitates adoption to the mass market.
 
Applied Nanodetectors Ltd is working together with the Centre for Process Innovation (CPI) to focus on the feasibility of designing and printing a novel low cost glucose sensor to be incorporated into a breathalyser to measure the levels of volatile organic compounds (VOC’s) in human breath.
 
The ability to print glucose sensors provides the opportunity to mass produce the sensors at extremely low costs per unit. The collaboration is part of a recent nine-month Innovate UK project titled ‘Plasense’ which finished in December 2015 and developed a low cost and scalable printed sensor technology onto flexible plastic substrates.
 
“This project was an important step in the development of a low cost sensor platform for use as a breath test for the management of diabetes,” said Dr. Victor Higgs, managing director at Applied Nanodetectors Ltd. “This would provide diabetics with a non-invasive easy to use test compared to the established finger prick method. Using the sensors in a portable handheld device will facilitate the creation of new point-of-care diagnostic tests, which will enable more efficient healthcare delivery leading to improved patient outcomes.”