Sensor a snug fit for glucose

A simple approach to making sugar-binding molecules provides a route towards practical glucose-sensing devices. UK researchers say their sensors could one day be used in cutting edge medical implants to give continuous blood sugar level readings.

Well established tests can gauge the sugar level in a sample of blood from a diabetic. However, continuous monitoring of blood sugar levels inside the body is challenging. Researchers have been searching for highly specific sugar-sensing molecules that can tightly bind glucose, emulating the performance of sugar binding lectin proteins. The problem is that carbohydrate molecules like glucose are hard to pick out – their hydroxyl groups are almost indistinguishable from those of water molecules. More...