Zhi Xu, associate professor of chemistry and biochemistry, demonstrates a noninvasive glucose monitor highlighted as one of five pioneering medical products to watch by Medical Product Manufacturing News.

A noninvasive glucose monitor developed by University of Missouri–St. Louis researchers made Medical Product Manufacturing News’ “Five Pioneering Medical Products to Watch” list.

The monitor was listed among an all-in-one catheter, an Alzheimer’s patch and a leadless pacemaker.

The university has licensed patent rights for the device to St. Louis Medical Devices, Inc., a Missouri company headquartered at UMSL’s own startup company incubator, IT Enterprises, to bring the device to market.

The small monitor – about the size of a cell phone – will allow for pain-free, convenient detection of glucose levels in capillaries of the finger with no waste (strips, lancets, etc.). It tests blood characteristics by shining near-infrared light through the finger, detecting the light transmitted through the targeted area and generating an output signal. A processor receives the output signals, calculates a change in the magnitude of light power transmitted through the finger and determines a characteristic of blood – in this case glucose. Future applications of the device could detect other characteristics, such as cholesterol.

More information:
umsl.edu/news/2011/03/29/glucose