Diabetes Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Diabetes, including details on insulin, type i, type ii, diet, treatment, prevention.

In vivo glucose monitoring: the clinical reality and the promise.

Pickup JC, Hussain F, Evans ND, Sachedina N

Metabolic Unit, Guy's, King's and St Thomas's School of Medicine, Guy's Hospital, 5th Floor Thomas Guy House, London SE1 9RT, UK. john.pickup@kcl.ac.uk

Glucose monitoring is an essential component of modern diabetes management. Three in vivo glucose sensors are now available for clinical use: a subcutaneously implanted amperometric enzyme electrode, a reverse iontophoresis system and a microdialysis-based device. Improvements in glucose-sensing technology continue to be sought, e.g. wired enzyme technology, viscometric affinity sensing and totally implanted glucose sensors. Non-invasive glucose sensing is the ultimate goal of glucose monitoring, but the most investigated approach, near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy, is presently too imprecise for clinical application. Fluorescence-based glucose sensing offers several advantages and we are investigating strategies which include NIR-based fluorescence resonance energy transfer using concanavalin A/dextran; changes in the intrinsic fluorescence of hexokinase encapsulated in sol-gel; and non-invasive glucose monitoring of cells by measuring glucose-related changes in NADP(H).

Published 2 March 2005 in Biosens Bioelectron, 20(10): 1897-902.
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