Anna University creates a biodegradable patch to control glucose and alcohol level

• Researchers from Anna University have created a biodegradable material to decrease medical garbage.
• It can be connected to an app or collect glucose and alcohol through a smartwatch.

THDNewsDesk, Chennai: To decrease medical scrap from glucose test strips, researchers from Anna University have created a biodegradable material, a cellulose derivative-based polymer, for checking glucose and alcohol level from sweat.

The high affability and transparent quality of the material could be utilized as a wearable non-invasive sensor. It can reveal the level of glucose and alcohol in the sweat through a smartwatch. It can also be linked to an app that can warn if alcohol consumption is over a set limit.

Chemistryselect, a European journal published in September 2020, stated, “The lowest detection limit found for glucose is 0.4 mM (millimolar) whereas, for that of ethanol, it was found to be 0.34 mM (millimolar).” Researchers stated in an article, “Non-Invasive, Non-Enzymatic, Biodegradable and Flexible Sweat Glucose Sensor and Its Electrochemical Studies.”

Preethi Ramadoss, the lead researcher from Anna University, stated, “The cellulose material completely degrades within 15 days. It is a very easily available material at low cost,” The available disposable test strips are manufactured of plastics and are non-degradable. The lancets which hold blood can also spread contagious diseases like HIV, Hepatitis B, and it professes a grave environmental hazard. “The material is also antibacterial, hence it can be safely used on sensitive skin without causing any infections.”

Ordinarily, sensors operate as three electrodes systems, a working electrode, a reference electrode, and a counter electrode. This material itself is a functioning electrode. Mostly, all the materials, the plastic is used just like a stick, and on top of it will be a working electrode, reference electrode, and counter electrode, which serve as sensors.

As the new material serves as a working electrode, they have to issue two electrodes without combining any inorganic compounds like zinc oxide.

Professor D Arivuoli, Crystal Growth Centre (UGC- National facility for Crystal Growth), Anna University and a mentor to the research project stated, “The research also gives an optimized formula of using human blood serum instead of foetal bovine serum to grow fibroblast cells and determine cell proliferation.”

He stated that human blood serum was inexpensive than the bovine serum and, “Normally researchers use 9% of foetal bovine serum in the medium. We got the same result using 5% human blood serum.”

Professor Arivuoli stated, “We are planning to apply to a patent for this research.”

In vitro cell culture investigations, researchers worked with a human blood serum instead of foetal bovine serum, which is derived most viciously by slaughtering pregnant cows.

Source-Times Of India