• Tweet ^[1]
• Share on Tumblr ^[2]
• Email ^[3]

^[4]

For some people, staying healthy could require getting some ink. Researchers at MIT ^[5]recently created a new type of tattoo ^[6] designed for folks living with diabetes. Once injected, the nanoparticle ink ^[7] can consistently measure glucose levels in the bloodstream, alerting patients if their blood sugar levels fall outside the normal range.

^[8]

We’ve seen similar tattoo technology from a different lab covered before on Ecouterre ^[7], and now we’re excited to see that MIT is getting in on the action – tattoos such as these ^[7] offer a huge advance in glucose-level monitoring. Typically, diabetics need to prick their fingers several times a day in order to monitor blood sugar levels. Not only is this method a nuisance, it’s not entirely effective: By not consistently tracking glucose, diabetics can miss the moment when blood sugar levels start to change, like after eating. While some constant monitors exist, they’re not approved for long-term use.

To create the blood sugar-reading ink ^[6], scientists used nanotubes wrapped in a glucose-sensitive polymer. After the ink is injected beneath the surface of the skin, the nano-ink seeks out glucose ^[9] and fluoresces when it detects it. A separate device kind of like a wristwatch provides near-infrared to read the fluorescing (kind of like a secret decoder ring), and allows users to track rising and falling glucose levels.

While all this is pretty fascinating, it gets better: Wearers aren’t stuck with the same tattoo for life. The nano-ink ^[6] starts to disappear after about six months, when patients will need to be re-injected with the ink.

Via Popular Science ^[6]