Perspectives on Non-Invasive Glucose Sensing using Flexible Hybrid-Printed Electronics Systems

Several obstacles face the development of noninvasive blood glucose sensing using printed electronics. They relate both to the sensing technique and the appropriate substrates to use. This article reviews three potential approaches based on tears, sweat and interstitial fluid (ISF) analysis, whence the mechanism, materials and substrates, performance and limitations are reported. A comparison of the three techniques leads to conclude that using iontophoresis followed by electrochemical-enzymatic glucose sensing may be the most promising approach given the current state-of-the-art. However, the definite relationship between ISF glucose concentration, and blood glucose concentration, is yet to be established to ensure the method's reliability.