Dr. Makarand Paranjape, associate professor of physics at Georgetown University, is the co-investigator of a glucose sensor project that could all but eliminate painful finger-pricking for diabetics. Georgetown recently entered into a partnership with Gentag Inc. and Science Applications International Corp. to make a blood-glucose testing product available to the public in the near future.

How did the project start?

The project was originally for the Department of Defense — it had to do with soldiers’ blood care. The way medics operate on the battlefield is that they go to the soldier closest to them, and that may not be the soldier who’s the most injured. By assessing glucose concentrations, that can give an indication of the extent of the injury.

How does the testing device work?

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We measure glucose in interstitial fluid — the clear liquid that results from a small cut — not in the blood. The skin has a 50-micron-thick (about the thickness of a hair) “dead skin” layer, and we essentially vaporize the dead skin, which produces interstitial fluid. It’s basically noninvasive. People get beauty treatments, which is basically the same thing. The heat generated doesn’t go into living tissue. It doesn’t come close to nerve endings or capillary vessels.

What are the benefits?

People with diabetes would be more willing to test themselves more often, and that’s a big thing in maintaining control. Patients would be much more likely to maintain glucose levels. If you sample every hour, you can have smaller doses of insulin, and you’re going to have smaller excursions from proper blood glucose levels.

What’s the next step?

... Perhaps there’s a means to connect insulin. One of our goals is to complete a closed-loop system — the “holy grail” of diabetes.