Inspiration can spring from unsuspecting places. In the case of a research team at the University of Auckland, inspiration for new needle-free blood glucose management technology came from diesel mechanics. Well, to be more specific, from the fuel injectors they work with.  

Jet injection has been a subject of research for some years at the University of Auckland’s ABI Bioinstrumentation Lab, with teams studying how it can be implemented in a range of medical situations. The latest study, led by Jiali Xu and James McKeage, has found that the technology can be used as an alternative to finger pricking to help people with diabetes manage their blood glucose levels. 

The study shows for the first time that a jet injector can be used to collect blood samples, without the constant pricking of fingertips with needles.  

People with diabetes often need to check their blood glucose levels multiple times a day, with the fingertip being a preferred site for blood sampling. This regular pricking of sensitive fingertips can result in pain, skin damage, bruising, and a risk of infection.  

Instead of a needle, jet technology pierces the skin with a small volume of harmless saline solution. Passing through a small nozzle, this solution pierces the skin enough to release the small amount of blood required by a blood glucose monitor.  

The study involved twenty participants, who were pricked by both lancets and jet technology, and asked to fill out a questionnaire on the aftereffects of the procedures. The researchers did not ask participants if they preferred the jet injection to a regular needle. 

Professor Andrew Taberner, supervisor of Ms Wu, says,  

“When you know there’s not a device that is pricking your skin, you could speculate that people will find jet injection more acceptable, but we don’t have evidence to back that up. That wasn’t part of this study. We were first trying to find out if it worked, and it did.” 

Now that the usefulness of jet technology in blood extraction has been proven, the ABI Bioinstrumentation Lab is now turning to its possibilities in insulin injection. Though the commercial availability of the device is a way in the future, the researchers are working towards an all-in-one device that can both extract for blood glucose monitoring and inject for insulin management.  

These sorts of advancements continue to add to the options available to people living with diabetes and allow them to seek out technology that best fits their lifestyle. 

Key points 

• Jet technology has been tested as an alternative to needles for blood sampling  
• This could be extremely useful for people with diabetes, who often need to take blood samples multiple times a day to manage their blood glucose levels 
• The technology is not yet being developed commercially, but is a continuing step in the research into new technology for the management of diabetes  

You can read more on the study here