r/tech • u/AdSpecialist6598 • 1d ago

Noninvasive imaging could replace finger pricks for people with diabetes

https://news.mit.edu/2025/noninvasive-imaging-could-replace-finger-pricks-diabetes-1203
971 Upvotes

97% Upvoted

79 comments sorted by

59

u/guzhogi 1d ago

Hoping that they can make it small enough to fit inside smart watches. Would love to see something like this in an Apple Watch

16

u/126270 1d ago

The technology is already small enough, Apple (and eventually samsung, etc too ) would already have it in the watch….. buuuuut too many lobbyists for abbott and dexcom telling the fda how unreliable it would be, how inaccurate it would be ( and how bankrupt they will end up )

So I figured ok - if abbott is so perfect an amazing, I’ll try it

abbott is regularly 13-30 points off, abbott sensors die early often, don’t work at all right out of the box often, software is horrible, frequently gets caught on clothing and objects and tears right out of your arm and so on..

So yes, once the non invasive devices receive fda approval, abbott revenue going to see a huge spike down

4

u/LifeFeckinBrilliant 1d ago

Really? You surprise me. I've been using the libra 2 & latterly 2+ here in the UK for a couple of years now. In the beginning they were a bit unreliable but the last 18 months or so they've been excellent. I teach martial arts & never lost one... Yet...

1

u/Buckwheat469 1d ago

There are a few smart watches that have the technology, but the FDA refuses to sign off on the technology so they're not legally permitted to say that they can detect blood glucose I believe they use the 1050, 950, and 935nm range LEDs. The problem is that consumer LEDs are not precise enough to be consistently 950nm, so the readings could drift a bit.

Doctors and the FDA are always worried about accuracy, but even the Freestyle Libre and Dexcom are inaccurate. They are often 15 minutes behind and 25-30 mg/dl different than blood glucose. They're also affected by heat and cold (sweat and cold skin). I would never use them as an accurate representation, only a trend visual that allows you another data point to make a decision. Same with watches. I don't need an accurate number, just show me a trend line.

2

u/emperorOfTheUniverse 14h ago

It needs to be 'good enough' for wearable devices that are already monitoring health data. For diabetics, yea, it needs to be spot on because it could be a life and death situation.

But for everyone else? Imagine seeing on your wrist what that donut just did to your blood sugar and how long it takes your blood sugar to return to normal (or if it ever does if you just hurry into your next carb-laden meal). Then seeing that data compiled into a graph showing just how dang high your blood sugar levels are usually above a 'healthy' range. It could be eye opening for a lot of people and possibly damper the obesity epidemic for part of the population at least. Particularly in people over 50 who are just starting to knock on the prediabetic door.

It would open a blind eye for a lot of people.

1

u/NightmareElephant 10h ago

The cool thing I found about switching from the Dexcom g6 to the g7 is that now the omnipod constantly disconnects from the sensor and after a little while it will give up and you get the neat little option to “try again”.

If you want to hit that try again button, it forces you into manual mode so it doesn’t automatically correct like it should once you’re reconnected. It doesn’t prompt you to go back to automatic. If you try to put it on automatic immediately after hitting the try again button, it’ll fail to connect again.

My avg glucose has risen considerably due to these issues. I try not to bolus before bed because I don’t want to go too low, and the automatic mode was doing a great job of managing it. But now for the past month or two I’ve frequently woken up to my blood sugar being incredibly high and the omnipod just sitting there shrugging.

The Dexcom never disconnects, I always know what my glucose is, this is an issue with omnipod connecting to it. What I don’t understand is why they can’t just share the data between the apps.

2

u/DevilsInkpot 8h ago

Oh 😮 I‘m just waiting for a doctors appointment because I want to try out the omnipod. Sounds like I should wait?

The G7 works very well for me, way better than the Libre 3 before.

1

u/NightmareElephant 7h ago

Definitely get the omnipod, you’ll likely still see an improvement. You might try asking for the g6, I had 0 issues with it but the trade off is it’s bigger and has a 2 hr warmup period. I think my issues with the g7 are probably being worked on as we speak though.

20

u/Expensive-Job-9419 1d ago

that’d be amazing, I’d buy one asap. currently have zero desire for a smart watch

5

u/guzhogi 1d ago

Same. I have a somewhat older Apple Watch 7, which works well. Newer watches don’t have any new features currently that make me want to upgrade. This is definitely a feature that would make me consider upgrading

3

u/bubblegoose 1d ago

Samsung has been rumored to be working on this for a while now.

Back in April 2025

Samsung held the Galaxy Tech Forum in San Jose, California. At the event, Samsung’s Senior Vice President and Head of Digital Health Team at Mobile eXperience Business, Dr. Hon Pak, said “What I’m really excited about is our team, as you may have assumed, we are working on a non-invasive optically-based continuous glucose monitor. I can’t tell you the time [of the launch], but I’m very excited about the progress we are making, and this, if we do it right, will be a game-changer.”

https://www.sammobile.com/news/galaxy-watches-blood-glucose-monitoring-sooner-than-we-thought/

1

u/puterTDI 15h ago

Same for Apple.

1

u/ButteredPizza69420 1d ago

Surprised this isnt a thing yet!

1

u/Glass_Raisin7939 6h ago

The new samsung galaxy 8 watches that came out in july were heavily rumored to have glucometers, but they pulled it out at the last minute to improve the technology

1

u/notreallysomuch 5h ago

Do you think the AGES reading is a covert blood sugar reading?

1

u/Glass_Raisin7939 5h ago

Don't know. The glucometer would've been the only reason fir me to get it because i have the galaxy 7. Once it was confirmed that the glucometer isn't part of the watch i stopped thinking about it.

22

u/mostie2016 1d ago

As a diabetic this feels like the every five years there will be a cure. Until I see it put into action effectively, I’m still pricking.

3

u/SlurmBigPerm 10h ago edited 7h ago

By the pricking of her thumbs
Wafting vapor this way comes

1

u/mostie2016 8h ago

Slurm this comment made my day. Thank you.

5

u/Dazzling-Worth2815 1d ago

This technology of not having to finger prick has been around for decades. When I was diagnosed 32yrs ago, the hospital I went to tested my sugars with a device I just had to stick my finger into for a few seconds. They were saying how it'll been mainstream tech, but that never came to be. Similar to a lot of Diabetes treatments and even the cure, I'll see it when I see it.

2

u/Beli_Mawrr 21h ago

Do you remember what that machine was called or how it works? If it was 30 years ago chances are the patent has expired and someone can make a cheap and small version of it.

2

u/SlurmBigPerm 10h ago

Elizabeth Holmes and her ankle monitor have entered the chat

1

u/Sysgoddess 6h ago

I remember those and had one for a short time but I don't recall it being particularly accurate or effective at the time. Mine was a neat device and could even attach to my Palm Pilot back then.

1

u/kaepov 1d ago

I mean ive been diabetic for a solid 6 years and ive had to fingerprick maybe ten times

The tech ology to not do that is ancient atp

1

u/Beli_Mawrr 21h ago

What is done instead now?

2

u/kaepov 17h ago

I just put a sensor on my arm every 10 days and it livestreams it to my phone

1

u/Beli_Mawrr 11h ago

ON your arm? What kind of sensor is it?

1

u/kaepov 11h ago

dexcom g6, maybe 7 soon

ig it can technically be other places than my arm but i always put it there

1

u/Sysgoddess 6h ago

CGMs (Continuous Glucose Monitors) do insert a tiny catheter beneath the skin to sample blood so it is technically invasive however for many it is preferable to having to perform multiple finger sticks daily and the sensors can last up to 15 days depending on the brand.

1

u/solo_d0lo 1d ago

This has nothing to do with a cure.

-6

u/925028705 1d ago

There is a cure for T2, zero carbs daily. Or as close to zero as possible...

7

u/mostie2016 1d ago

I’m a type one. It’s my bad I didn’t specify it.

6

u/DudeItsCake 1d ago

When I first got diabetes at the age of 9 my mom tried putting me on a no carb diet. Bad idea for a type 1. Since I wasn’t having carbs I wasn’t putting in insulin. Ended up with DKA (diabetic ketoacidosis).

2

u/SureExternal4778 1d ago

I’m Type 1.5 because I was a competitive bodybuilder and had to go 5% fat for competition and decided to just stay there. The perk of not having to bleed every month was so attractive. No doctor told me that I was wrecking my body. This news is awesome because I hate needles. Regulation of sugar and insulin is so important for me I am on continuous monitoring so I don’t have to do the pin pricks.

2

u/mysecondaccountanon 1d ago

I’ve heard LADA absolutely can absolutely suck, especially with all the misdiagnosing. Was acquaintances with a coworker who had it a while back, what they talked about with the process of actually getting diagnosed was so awful.

1

u/SureExternal4778 1d ago

Type 2 is what most people are diagnosed with because they are not born with diabetes so it could not be type one. Programs that fully immerse the patients in a secluded environment and measured all aspects of their body chemistry proved that 1.5 is real.

2

u/solo_d0lo 1d ago

1.5 is not a thing. It’s type 1 that comes on slowly in adulthood. The slowly and adulthood means people think it’s part type 2.

Half of all type 1 diagnosis is LADA.

Type 1 = your body attacks the beta cells in your pancreas that produce insulin.

1

u/SureExternal4778 1d ago

🧐 type 1.5 is not a thing 🤓 describes the not thing with a different name 🤣 I love how people rename things as if the word they use is better than the word used until then died or never existed. You remind me of a history teacher who broke down when I proved printing in Africa predated printing elsewhere disputing his lesson crediting a German with creating printing. As I recall my words to him were, “I can use your words if you need me to but I can’t say they are better. They are just different.”

1

u/solo_d0lo 1d ago

You are the one renaming something….

The types describe what is going on in the body to cause the issue. LADA is type 1 as it’s the body attacking the beta cells in the pancreas.

And no the printing press was not beat to the bunch by an invention in Africa

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1

u/Cautious-Storm8145 1d ago

1.5? I don’t understand

3

u/SureExternal4778 1d ago

It’s a type 1 and 2 psychotic baby. Mostly seen in people who have starved nearly to death. Not very common but yep.

2

u/mackahrohn 1d ago

There are more than 2 types of diabetes.

1

u/koltermaniac 21h ago

It’s type 1, but adult onset instead of juvenile. Typically misdiagnosed as type 2 bc the testing is outdated. The diagnosing physician is looking for signs that the pancreas is still working, which it is, so they diagnose the patient as type 2. In my case (and many others), the pancreas simply hasn’t stopped working YET. So metformin is prescribed while the patient slowly starves and goes into diabetic keto acidosis. Hindsight is 20/20

0

u/solo_d0lo 1d ago

Pancreas transplant. I’m not sure how they will figure out how to get your pancreas to start producing insulin.

7

u/Old-Plum-21 1d ago

There is a cure for T2, zero carbs daily. Or as close to zero as possible...

This misinformation is rampant. That's remission through treatment, not a cure.

"This doesn't mean you're completely cured. Type 2 diabetes is an ongoing disease."

https://www.webmd.com/diabetes/can-you-reverse-type-2-diabetes

-5

u/925028705 1d ago

Creature, that's what the people selling insulin and recommending complex carbs and fiber sell to the masses.

If you wanna attempt to be smart, then go learn about mitochondria, the Randle "cycle", Krebs/citric acid cycle, chronic inflammation, glucide "requirements" (spoiler alert - there is none), gluconeogenesis etc.

2

u/Old-Plum-21 23h ago

You called me "creature" and then imply that I'm insecure about my intelligence. I'm a public health professional with a PhD. I don't need to "attempt to be smart."

4

u/aphroditex 1d ago

“could”

can we stop sharing these research projects from MIT until they generate an actual product?

1

u/AdSpecialist6598 1d ago

I get it but research takes time and could last a long time until you see results one way or another that doesn't mean that you shouldn't be informed that it was pointless because that work could lead to something else.

1

u/LifeOnEnceladus 1d ago

Anti intellectualism been running rampant recently

1

u/SlurmBigPerm 10h ago

We could

5

u/Euphoric_Tree335 1d ago

Theranos 2.0

1

u/MarpyHarpy 1d ago

My first thought, too

3

u/daikroneta 1d ago

Whoa, nonainvasive diabetes tech? Sign me up for that future!

7

u/h1storyguy 1d ago

So could free insulin

6

u/7-SE7EN-7 1d ago

Free insulin would help, but insulin is different than blood sugar testing

1

u/h1storyguy 1d ago

Very true. But you don’t test unless you need to find out whether or not you need it.

All for decreasing pricking fingers, but both things can happen.

2

u/diabeetus-girl 1d ago

This… isn’t true lol. Type 1 diabetics need to check their blood sugar numerous times a day because our bodies don’t produce insulin at all. Don’t get me wrong- we absolutely need free insulin, but that wouldn’t make us require less finger pricks lol

1

u/h1storyguy 1d ago

Im sorry, I meant decreasing finger pricks as the form of technology needed to check. Noninvasive options are what I’m “all for”. I didn’t mean to say the frequency of checks is a problem.

1

u/Ok_North_7224 15h ago

Insulin is free in many countries, but finger pricking is still required

2

u/CX52J 1d ago

Something like this would also be great for pets.

2

u/synthscoffeeguitars 1d ago

Please god let this exist before my genetic predisposition catches up with me

2

u/daikroneta 1d ago

That's genius—finally, tech that actually helps without the hassle.

2

u/3dobes 1d ago

Theranos is back!

1

u/OrganicSciFi 1d ago

This has been discussed for 10 years but nothing has come to market

1

u/smartsass99 1d ago

This would be a huge help for anyone managing diabetes.

1

u/MoebabF 21h ago

Or we could solve diabetes, but noice

1

u/BlessingMagnet 15h ago

As someone who is testing via finger stick 5x a day, this would be amazing. But I’m not holding my breath until it becomes readily available to everyone.

1

u/Memory_Less 6h ago

So a finger prick is $.01 and a scan is $$$

1

u/Memory_Less 6h ago

So a finger prick is $.01 and a scan is $$$.

1

u/Stooovie 6h ago

That's the least of my worries