Noninvasive imaging could replace finger pricks for measuring blood glucose(news.mit.edu)

31 pointsby ivewonyounghace 7 meses6 comments

news.mit.edu

Noninvasive imaging could replace finger pricks for measuring blood glucose

https://news.mit.edu/2025/noninvasive-imaging-could-replace-finger-pricks-diabetes-1203

7 comments

analog31hace 7 meses

I've worked in this business. Non-invasive blood glucose monitoring has been a holy grail of analytical science for 50+ years. I've known two people who have gone bankrupt trying to do it.

The spectrum contains signatures of hundreds of compounds. All of the variation has to be accounted for. It's actually a ridiculously hard problem.

Still, holy grails being what they are, I'm still excited when I see that someone is giving it another chance.

[deleted]hace 7 meses

zacianhace 7 meses

Having a diabetic father, who has been using pricks for the last 20 years. This would be really amazing to see this work. And I hope this can provide 24 hour glucose monitoring to see the fluctuations.

aitchnyuhace 7 meses

Any issue with adopting current CGM (continuous glucose monitors) devices?

BewareTheYigahace 7 meses

For me, the needles suck. The sensors can go bad and can give false readings — so you still need to prick your finger. It’s better than flying blind but I’m hoping for a non invasive option

spwa4hace 7 meses

Wasn't Apple working on this?

mlloydhace 7 meses

I don't think we use CGMs enough. There's nothing that tells you more about your food choice than the way your blood sugar reacts after you eat it. Teaching that can actually help folks manage their weight better because they can see in real time what's a good dietary choice vs a bad one.

And while blood sugar isn't the only metric for healthy eating, it's significant enough that management of it will show measurable increases to one's health.