Depok, August 28th 2023. Diabetes is one of the deadliest diseases in the world. Data from the International Diabetes Federation revealed that in 2021, 537 million adults in the world suffered from diabetes. Of the total number of diabetes sufferers throughout the world, 10% of them has type-1 diabetes mellitus. Indonesia itself ranks first in the ASEAN region, as a country with the most type-1 diabetes sufferers mellitus at 41,817.
Based on this, three students from the Faculty of Engineering (FT) at Universitas Indonesia (UI) designed a sensor to monitor the blood glucose levels of Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus patients in real time and non-invasively. Utilizing Internet of Things (IoT) technology, Ahmad Daelamy Yusuf, Fathia Maheswari Nugraha, and Yasmina Ashfa Zahidah designed this sensor under the guidance of Siti Fauziyah Rahman, S.T, M. Eng., Ph.D, lecturer at the Department of Electrical Engineering, FTUI. The three students from batch 2021 are members of the Biomaddict Team.
“From these data, it appears that the need for tools that can monitor blood glucose levels in patients with Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus is getting bigger. Our team sees that this monitoring tool requires the help of a biosensor tool that makes real-time monitoring easier and less difficult for patients. The design result of this biosensor tool is called the Wireless Multicolor Patch Biosensor (WMPB),” said Siti Fauziyah.
Some of the advantages of innovation offered by this biosensor device are that it is non-invasive, meaning the patient will not experience pain, IoT-based, and emergency warning which makes accessibility easier for the patient, and real-time monitoring, which means that it can be monitored continuously.
The WMPB biosensor device is in the form of a sticker, which will change color according to the amount of glucose detected in the blood. This tool is also equipped with Bluetooth so that users can access glucose level data wirelessly via personal devices in real-time and continuously. To connect the tool with a personal device, this biosensor is connected to a Printed Circuit Board (PCB) and can be connected wirelessly via Bluetooth 5.3. This sensor has been verified to produce accurate detection output and is expected to monitor the glucose levels of Type-1 Diabetes patients.
“The use of stickers on this sensor is done by attaching the adhesive tape to the skin. Later, reverse iontophoresis will occur, namely the release of molecules from the body to be detected by the sensor. Then, the glucose will be sampled by the electrode. The electrode output will be processed by the PCB to produce blood glucose levels. “The results of these measurements can be displayed in two types of interface: on a smartphone application, which is equipped with medical record and notification features as well as sensor color indicators,” explained Ahmad Daelamy.
Dean of FTUI, Prof. Dr. Heri Hermansyah, S.T, M.Eng., said, “In today’s modern era, the use of IoT technology is indeed widely spread because of its high impact. FTUI students’ innovation in designing sensors to make it easier to monitor glucose levels in type 1 diabetes patients is very impressive. This solution has great potential to improve patients’ quality of life and make it easier to manage their health conditions. The success of these students reflects FTUI’s passion in producing technological solutions that have a positive impact on people’s health and welfare.”
The design of a biosensor tool for monitoring blood glucose levels in Diabetes patients has brought the Biomaddict Team to win 2nd place in the 2023 Padjadjaran University Chemistry Fun Days Scientific Writing Paper, at the end of May. This competition, which was held offline, had the theme, Application of Chemistry in Facing the Post-Pandemic Era, with one of the sub-themes being Biosensors.
Author: FTUI Public Relations/ editor: Finda
