New Glucose Test Could Eliminate Need for Finger Prick

Researchers at a Massachusetts Institute of Technology lab are working on a test to measure glucose levels in Type 1 diabetes patients that uses a light scan instead of drawing blood. The test uses Raman spectroscopy, a technique that can measure glucose levels with a near-infrared light scan of a patient’s skin, MIT says. The scan detects chemical compounds by the vibrations from molecular bonds. The new test could improve quality of life for diabetes patients, but cost and ease of use are still concerns. MIT graduate students are working on a small, affordable spectroscopy machine.