Tattoo For People With Diabetes: The Ink Changes Color When Blood Sugar Levels Rise Or Fall

July 29, 2019

Author By Mambee

Diabetes is a condition that affects how the body uses blood sugar. Glucose is essential for your health as it is an important source of energy for the cells. People with diabetes have high blood sugar levels. Without careful management, this disease leads to a buildup of sugars in the blood. This, in turn, increases the risk of dangerous complications, including stroke and heart problems.

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Special tattoo ink to control blood sugar levels

For diabetics patients, keeping track of blood sugar levels is vital. In most cases, patients have to monitor the numbers by pricking their fingers. They have to do it every day to measure the level of glucose in the blood. Usually, it is expensive and requires time and effort. Surprisingly, a better solution may soon be available on the market.

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Researchers from Harvard and MIT have been working hard to find an easier way to monitor blood sugar levels. And finally, they made a fascinating discovery.

They created a 'biosensing' tattoo, which can help those suffering from type 1 and type 2 diabetes. This tattoo is a part of a project called Dermal Abyss. Scientists want to change the ink for tattoos and add some biosensors that can react to changes in the blood. As a result, cell tissues change the color.

In other words, a person who has this tattoo can notice changes in blood sugar just by observing the color changes of the tattoo ink. So in the future patients with diabetes will be able to monitor their glucose levels with the tattoo.

These results sound promising, but it is still only a research project. Further research is needed.

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The Dermal Abyss project is a collaborative project between four MIT students and two Harvard Medical School students. Four biosensors were developed and they react to three pieces of biochemical information in the body fluid, which cause them to change colors.

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Even though the project is still in the testing phase, the group believes that this could be a very useful medical tool in the future.