This is so cool

Tiny tattoos could help diabetics ditch needles--New sensor acts like a mood ring for glucose levels in mouse experiments

The new sensor may be more like a mood ring than a tattoo since it reflects changes in a person’s skin. As it turns out, when blood sugar levels rise, glucose levels increase everywhere else in the body, from the eyes, to the kidneys — even to the outermost layer of the skin.

Each tattoo sensor is made up of millions of tiny rubbery beads that can be injected into the skin like the dye that makes up a regular tattoo. The beads are so small that 600 of them placed end to end could fit across the diameter of a hair.

The tiny beads are infused with two substances. One is a molecule that can pull glucose into the sphere and bind to it. The other is a special fluorescent dye. With no sugar present, the two molecules bind to each other and turn the sphere yellow. When sugar levels rise in the skin, molecules with glucose attached jettison the dye and the sphere turns purple.

If it works in humans (so far they've just used it in mice, and not even diabetic mice, so it's aways from practice), it could mean the end of pricking fingers for blood glucose tests. Especially for a very sensitive diabetic--like the little girl in the article, who had to be tested five times at one birthday party--it can do a world of good, keep sharps phobic people more compliant, and prvent the side-effects of frequent testing on the fingers. I know when I test, I use a special lancet to test on the side of my palm, which helps a lot. But this may be better. I'd have it injected, if it pans out. And with the incidence of diabetes on the rise, it's a welcome possibility.