Dr. Howard Smith Oncall

Vidcast: https://youtu.be/cnqHqgpqycE Someday soon, high-tech tattoos may replace blood testing for continuous monitoring.  Bioengineers at MIT and Harvard Med School as well as at the University of Colorado’s ATLAS Institute are combining nanoparticles with tattoo technology to create color changing indicators deep in the skin. The Harvard-MIT team developed sensor inks that can signal levels of glucose, body fluid acidity or pH, and sodium levels.  They tattoo the indicator ink directly into the skin and state that the inks would have to be replaced periodically The Colorado investigators, hoping to create a more permanent solution, are encasing such color-shifting chemicals in porous microcapsules that are then propelled into the skin using tatoo needles.  They are currently experimenting with particles that signal exposure to harmful UV rays but plan to use this same technology to continuously monitor blood sugar and blood alcohol levels. #tattoos #bloodchemistry #glucosemonitoring #bloodalcohol #UVexposu