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MIT’s Light-Based Glucose Monitor Matches CGMs in Early Test as Wearable Trials Begin

The device reads a direct glucose signal through skin using three targeted Raman bands with angled near‑infrared illumination.

Overview

  • In a peer‑reviewed Analytical Chemistry study, a shoebox‑sized prototype produced readings comparable to two invasive continuous glucose monitors during a four‑hour healthy‑volunteer test with two 75‑gram glucose drinks.
  • Each scan took a little over 30 seconds, with measurements collected about every five minutes during the trial.
  • The research team has built a cellphone‑sized wearable that is now undergoing small clinical testing at MIT’s Center for Clinical Translation Research in healthy and prediabetic volunteers.
  • A larger hospital‑based study including people with diabetes is planned for next year, alongside work to validate performance across diverse skin tones and to shrink the hardware toward a watch‑sized form.
  • Limiting detection to three Raman bands and using angled near‑infrared illumination reduced components and cost, enabling substantial miniaturization from earlier printer‑scale systems.