Smart Holograms
The hologram can be seen in the brown centre of the lens, which will be invisible when worn
Smart Holograms
A £120,000 research grant has been awarded to research and develop contact lenses that use “Sensor Hologram” technology to help diabetics ensure their blood sugar level is not dangerously high or low. The funding will pay for a researcher to be employed for two years to help develop the new system, which automatically senses the glucose levels of diabetics so that they will no longer have to take daily blood samples.
The researcher will work for Smart Holograms, based in Cambridge, which is developing the sensors, but will also be supervised by Dr Tony James and Dr Steve Bull of the University of Bath’s Department of Chemistry. Dr James is an expert on sensors for glucose and Dr Bull is an expert in organic synthesis.
The new system involves special contact lenses which sense the glucose levels in the tear fluid of the wearer’s eye, which may be linked to the concentration of glucose in the blood. Changes in the glucose level in the tear fluid alter the wavelength of light reflected by the “Sensor Hologram” in the contact lens, and this can be detected by a small device held up to the eye to give an accurate reading of the wearer’s glucose level.
This painless system will allow diabetics to monitor their glucose levels more often, leading to better blood sugar control and fewer health problems.
The research team from the University of Bath will work on developing a chemical receptor which will be incorporated into the contact lens and which will only interact with glucose to produce a change in the hologram is produced.
The grant is jointly funded by Smart Holograms and the Department of Trade and Industry under its Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) scheme.
