I just read this article and was VERY excited about the prospect!!
“A special tattoo ink that changes color based on glucose levels inside the skin is under development by Massachusetts-based Draper Laboratories. The injectable nanotech ink could eventually free diabetics from painful blood glucose tests.”
YEAH! No more finger pricks! No more expensive strips! It could be any design you wanted. LOL This would be perfect for me it would go with the 6 other tattoos that I already have.
I was gonna design a “Type 1 diabetic” medic alert-type tat to go on my forearm near my wrist. This seems cool, but I suspect I’d irresponsibly try to show off the color-change and end up getting a low or something.
That’s a cool way of doing it. I was expecting someone to do something with genetically modified squid ink or something, but a glucose-sensitive tatoo was the first thing I thought of last week when I was diagnosed. I think there are other projects I can’t wait to see what comes out on top.
It would be especially cool to see the levels change during and after meals and exercise. The data points are too far apart for my liking with the testing I’m doing.
But I dunno…I’m pretty skeptical about its actual benefits to helping tight control. It seems like a color wouldn’t really be able to tell you a precise number. Could it differentiate a high of 160 from a high of 260?
I’d still prefer a traditional CGM with trend graphs myself!
But the idea behind this sure is interesting. I guess you never know where it could lead us in the future!!
Yea, I don’t know about tight control either, but is sure would be handy for folks, like myself, who are hypoglycemic unaware to be able to glance at something and at least have a general idea of what’s up. I could see putting it on the inside of my wrist where it could be seen easily, not only by myself but by EMTs. Of course, I suppose we’d then have to come up with a standard tat so they would know what the heck it was…
I like this! Shall we add it to newborns like we do silver nitrate for their eyes?
On the OTHER hand, “What carcinogens are in nanotech ink?” My 5th cousin three times removed died of Ca of the liver from being around printer’s ink all her life in the 18 & 1900s!
I would probably try it, but I think Jaclyn is right that it will be inaccurate or imprecise.
The press release talks about relief from “painful blood glucose tests.” This has been a selling point for a lot of new diabetes technologies (like the failed Gluco-watch) so I suppose they have done their focus group research to find out what people don’t like about diabetes. Maybe these people can go back to peeing on chemstrips. As for me, finger sticks are not really painful. Especially compared to the painful diabetic complications that could result from poor bg control.
To my cousins from Massachusetts, who gloat about how “A lot of great things have come out of Boston,” my standard response is, “Yeah, like United Airlines Flight 175.”
There’s my tasteless cheap shot against the state of Massachusetts for today, thank you.
I think it would be GREAT to look down and see actually when you need to pull out your glucometer due to a change in a small tatoo’s color…, and as others have posted, less invasive and expensive than a CGM… I wouldn’t mind it at all!!! Sign me up!!!
God Bless,
Brunetta
Type1 41 Years
Insulin Pumper 5 1/2 years
