Shulou(Shulou.com)11/24 Report--

CTOnews.com, Nov. 16 (Xinhua)-- Synex Medical, a Toronto-based biotechnology research company supported by Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, has developed a tool to measure blood sugar levels without pricking a finger.

When the user inserts his finger into the device, it uses a combination of low-field magnets and low-frequency radio waves to directly measure blood sugar levels in a non-invasive manner.

According to reports, the tool uses magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) similar to MRI. Jamie Near, an associate professor at the University of Toronto who specializes in MRS technology, told foreign media Engadget, "MRI uses a magnetic field to take pictures of the rich distribution of hydrogen protons in our body tissues. In MRS, the same basic principle is also used to detect other hydrogen-containing chemicals."

When the user's fingertips are placed in a magnetic field, the frequency of a specific molecule (CTOnews.com note: glucose in this case) is measured in units of 1/1000000. Although the project focuses on glucose, MRS can be used to measure metabolites, including lactic acid, ketones and amino acids, Synex said.

Matthew Rosen, a Harvard physicist who studies everything from basic physics to biological imaging in the field of MRI, called the device "smart" and "a good idea".

Magnetic resonance technology is commonly used in chemical analysis of compounds. however, traditional resonance techniques operate in high magnetic fields and are very expensive. Synex found a way to get clear readings from a low magnetic field. "they really overcome the challenge by developing a method with high sensitivity and high specificity," Rosen said. "to be honest, I've been doing MRI for 30 years. I never thought people could use a small desktop machine to measure blood sugar."

Professor Andre Simpson, a researcher and director of the center at the University of Toronto, also said he thought Synex's equipment was "real". "the MRI machine can be suitable for the entire human body and has been used to determine the concentration of molecules in the brain through local spectra," he explained. "Synex has scaled down this technique to measure the concentration in the fingers. I have read their white paper and seen how the instrument works." Simpson says Synex's ability to transform MRS technology into a small box is an engineering feat.

So far, there is no commercial equipment that can measure blood sugar noninvasively. Although minimally invasive continuous blood glucose monitors are available on the market, this minimally invasive technique is still at risk of infection.

Mohana Ray, Synex's scientific director, says the company eventually hopes to develop a wearable device. But further miniaturization is needed before commercial products can be brought to market.

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