Optoacousto-Fluidics Based Optical Rotation Measure for Blood Glucose Sensing.

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Optics
• Biosensing Technology
• Fluidics Engineering

Background:

• Deep tissue glucose sensing faces challenges due to light scattering and tissue optical properties.
• Existing methods often require large sample volumes or lack sensitivity for accurate detection.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a novel approach for glucose sensing in deep tissues using polarized light and optoacousto-fluidics.
• To assess the system's sensitivity, accuracy, and reliability under dynamic conditions.

Main Methods:

• A custom microfluidic chip was designed for optoacoustic detection of optical rotation using polarized near-infrared light (1560 nm).
• Experiments utilized serum-like, human blood samples, and simulated tissue depths of 2 mm, evaluating flow dynamics.
• Proof-of-concept studies included samples from diabetic and healthy volunteers.

Main Results:

• Depth-resolved optoacoustic signals allowed accurate glucose quantification via optical rotation.
• The system demonstrated a detection limit of 50 mg/dL in serum samples.
• Diabetic and healthy samples were classified with 88% prediction accuracy, unaffected by flow variations.

Conclusions:

• This low-volume, high-sensitivity method enables glucose detection using polarized light and optoacousto-fluidics.
• The technology holds potential for real-time, non-invasive glucose monitoring at tissue depths of 2-3 mm.
• This work advances optical rotation-based glucose detection for in-vivo sensing applications.