GlucoScreen: Prediabetes Self-Screening Via Smartphone

Prediabetes affects around 96 million American people, or more than one in every three, although the great majority go undiagnosed. A clinical blood sugar test or an at-home glucometer gadget is required for the current diagnosis. With availability and expense being major factors in testing for an illness that may go years without symptoms, it's no wonder that 80% of sufferers aren't detected until it progresses to more serious concerns like type 2 diabetes.

Researchers at the University of Washington tested a novel technology that they hope might allow individuals to self-screen for prediabetes using any smartphone.

Present screening strategies include laboratory testing at health care institutions and/or the use of portable glucometers for at-home testing.

The Development of GlucoScreen

The researchers were looking for a less expensive and more accessible screening approach. They created GlucoScreen, a technology that uses the touch sensing capabilities of any smartphone to test blood glucose levels. The modified commercially available test strip draws electricity from the phone's flash through photodiodes, and the GlucoScreen app guides users through the testing process.

Users begin by attaching one end of a test strip to the front and rear of the phone. They next puncture their finger with a lancet, like in a traditional test, and apply a drop of blood to the biosensor on the test strip. The amplitude of the electrochemical response that happens when blood interacts with enzymes is measured by the test strip.

The GlucoScreen app guides the user through the testing procedure, which is identical to a traditional glucometer-based test. The GlucoScreen test strip's tiny photodiodes allow it to draw the electricity it requires to work exclusively from the phone's flash.

Data produced by that interaction is transmitted to the smartphone by simulating human tapping on the screen in patterns like Morse code. After data analysis using machine learning, the app calculates a blood glucose value and displays it on the phone along with a link to an explanation of the findings.

No complex electronics are used in the system, nor is Wi-Fi or Bluetooth necessary. And according to the study's findings, the GlucoScreen system provides accuracy comparable to that of the present at-home glucometer gadgets.

Clinical study and findings:

In a clinical investigation with 75 patients who were previously scheduled to have blood collected for a glucose test, the researchers assessed GlucoScreen. The approach was reliable at the critical cutoff point between normal blood glucose levels below 99 mg/dL and prediabetes levels between 100 and 125 mg/dL, according to the research team. They discovered that GlucoScreen's accuracy was on par with that of conventional glucometer testing.

"The fact that many patients cannot afford to test themselves because glucometers and their test strips are too expensive is one of the obstacles we observe in our clinical practice. And typically, those with the greatest impediments to getting their blood sugar checked are those who need it the most " said the researches.

Even though it's still a prototype and needs further clinical testing and manufacturing research, it's a hopeful addition to the rapidly evolving technological environment that lets individuals literally take their health monitoring into their own hands.