Raman effect to help detect diabetics

    New York: Painful fingerstick testing of glucose levels may soon become a thing of the past for diabetics, as Professor Joseph Chaiken, of the Department of Chemistry in The College of Arts and Sciences, at Syracuse University has developed the LighTouch, which accurately monitors glucose levels without a single drop of blood. The novel procedure uses a laser to measure spectroscopic signals in blood while the blood is still in the capillaries, allowing abnormal levels of blood components, such as glucose, to be detected without pricking a person's finger. "Professor Chaiken has been indefatigable in his efforts to develop a glucose test for diabetics that does not involve pricking the finger to obtain a drop of blood," says Eric A. Schiff, associate dean of natural sciences and mathematics and professor of physics at Syracuse University. "As one would expect from an outstanding scientist, his work with his collaborators to establish the validity of the method has been meticulous, and has been published in excellent, peer- reviewed scientific journals," he added.

    Chaiken's research involves using spectroscopy to gain a fundamental understanding of light and matter interactions, then applying that research to solve practical problems of importance. The LighTouch uses a method called Raman spectroscopy to focus a laser-which Chaiken refers to as a "CD-player type of laser that has been kicked up a notch to deliver a purer red color,"-onto the fingertip and analyze the various colors of the light exiting the finger. These colors are indicative of the types and quantities of the different chemicals in the tissue being illuminated by the laser. By making two such measurements, first with the fingertip under no pressure and the second with slight pressure applied to the flesh, researchers are able to compare the measurements and analyze only those colors that come from the part of the fingertip which moves under slight pressure-the blood. The procedure is completely painless and produces results with accuracy and precision comparable to existing fingerstick devices. "Just as an electrocardiogram machine (EKG) produces an electrocardiogram, the LighTouch produces a Ramagram," says Chaiken.

     Raman spectroscopy is a spectroscopic technique used in condensed matter physics and chemistry to examine vibrational, rotational and other low-frequency modes in a system. It is named for Chandrasekhara Venkata Raman, who won the 1930 Nobel Prize in Physics for discovering "feeble fluorescence," later known as the Raman effect, in 1928. Experts believe Chaiken's pioneering work will result in increased regular blood sugar testing by diabetics, a critical step in controlling diabetes, which according to the World Health Organization, is a leading cause of death worldwide. Chaiken 's achievement has been recognised worldover, as has been named the winner of the 2005 Frank Annunzio Award in the field of science/technology by the Christopher Columbus Fellowship Foundation. The $25,000 award was presented to Chaiken at a ceremony in Washington, D.C., on Oct. 10. which aims to "encourage and support research, study and labor designed to produce new discoveries in all fields of endeavor for the benefit of mankind." However, Chaiken predicts that availability of a non-portable glucose machine for the public is still a few years away, depending on FDA approval. The first LighTouch devices will appear in clinics, doctors' offices and hospitals. The next step would be portable devices that measure glucose, as well as non- portable devices that measure other analytes such as cholesterol, urea and total protein; Chaiken believes these machines can be developed in the coming years. He holds U.S. and worldwide patents for both the device and measuring process, and has several other patents in process.
Oct 15, 2005

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