Researchers Finish Work On Needle-Free Glucose Tester

By Claire Swedburg, RFID Journal

A team consisting of Georgetown University's Georgetown Advanced Electronics Laboratory (GAEL) researchers, Science Applications International Corp. (SAIC), and Gentag, has finished development on a glucose measuring system that, once commercially available, would allow diabetics to monitor their glucose levels electronically—using an RFID-enabled cell phone—without needing to prick their fingers.

SAIC researchers worked with Georgetown University on the research and development of the glucose sensor technology, which has been tested thus far only on animals with the exception of Georgetown associate physics professor Mak Paranjape, who tested the system on himself. Gentag provided passive RFID technology. The companies are awaiting FDA approval for the commercial sale of glucose-monitoring products that use the RFID-based sensors. Because the technology is considered non-invasive, human testing would not be necessary. The companies are hoping to sign a licensing agreement with a company seeking to manufacture and distribute such a system, which Gentag president and CEO John Peeters predicts will be a popular alternative to the current painful and expensive glucose-testing methods being used by diabetics.

Used with permission from RFID Journal, Inc.