Nano Ink 'Tattoo' Could Monitor Diabetes: Discovery News

Nano Ink 'Tattoo' Could Monitor Diabetes: Discovery News

Research at the Massachusetts-based Draper technologies may one day yield a tattoo that changes colour in response to changes in glucose levels. Preliminary experiments indicate that nano-encapsulated ink-filled spheres could give an indication of the glucose level in the skin, changing from a healthy purple to a worrisome yellow when glucose levels are too low. Skin glucose levels lag blood glucose levels by about 20 minutes so the system would not detect a problem as quickly as contemporary blood tests, but could visually indicate to a diabetic whether corrective measures are taking affect. This system is not expected to hit the market for at least 2 years.