In the more or less distant future, we will be able to use contact lenses to detect cancer, measure glucose, and even monitor drug consumption.
Engineers at Oregon State University are working to incorporate transparent sensors into contact lenses, which could then monitor biomarkers to track drug use, blood glucose levels, or even detect early signs of cancer.
My group had been working on a different technology for glucose sensing... which is similar to what is used for glucose test strips. a chemical engineer who is leading the research. On a separate project, we were working on transistors that can be transparent. It came to me that we could modify the transistor to be a sensor and make it fully transparent.
Greg Herman – chemical engineer
To design the biosensors, Herman turned to indium gallium zinc oxide (IGZO), a compound he invented with some colleagues years ago. IGZO has already revolutionized touchscreen sensitivity.
Instead of offering consumers higher resolution devices, Herman's new use for IGZO enables continuous glucose monitoring by making an enzyme that reacts with glucose to change the conductivity of the lens and signal a patient's glucose level.
"The thought with the contact lens is that it will give diabetic patients more flexibility in managing their glucose levels,"
More than 2.500 different biosensors could theoretically be incorporated into 1mm of these contact lenses, according to Herman, things like detecting uric acid levels and cancer biomarkers. However, such a device will be available for purchase in a few years.
"We are still in the early stages, and it is difficult to say how long it will be before they are available commercially," he said. "We have talked to a couple companies, and are hoping to work with them to accelerate the technology."
