Scientists have developed a tiny implant that tracks sugar and enzyme levels in the blood and could make life easier for cancer patients and diabetics.
Researchers from various European institutes have developed the new device that goes below the skin and can be placed into a patient's chest, where it monitors substance levels in blood in real time.
The device is about 14 millimetres long (half an inch) and has five sensors, a transmitter and a power-delivery system. A patient must also wear a small battery, which attaches to a patient's skin and powers the device through a wire, TechNewsDaily reported.
The implant records substances in a patient's blood, including various sugars, enzymes and other organic molecules.
Using its transmitter, the device sends data to a patient's smartphone via Bluetooth. This data then routes through an app to a doctor's computer, allowing the doctor to monitor a patient's substance levels almost as soon as the device records them.
The implant detects substance levels using a pool of enzymes, which run dry after about a month and a half. Researchers claim that removing and refilling the device is no more strenuous than the blood tests it replaces.
The implant will be most useful to diabetics as checking blood sugar levels will only involve checking a computer screen, researchers said.
Giovanni de Micheli, one of the researchers who created the device, explained how the device can be useful to chemotherapy patients.
For example, "a patient undergoing chemotherapy may receive an inappropriate dose [of medication] under the usual practice. With this device, the chemo dose is optimised to have the right concentration in the bloodstream," he said.
Initial tests of the device have shown promise, and researchers hope to put it on sale within the next four years.
