A comprehensive review of non-invasive optical and microwave biosensors for glucose monitoring

Ana J L Martins; Reinaldo J Velásquez; Denis B Gaillac; Vanessa N Santos; Diego C Tami; Rodrigo N P Souza; Fernan C Osorio; Gabriel A Fogli; Beatriz S Soares; Cassio G do Rego; Gilberto Medeiros-Ribeiro; Juliana B Drummond; Clara M Mosquera-Lopez; Jhonattan C Ramirez

doi:10.1016/j.bios.2024.117081

A comprehensive review of non-invasive optical and microwave biosensors for glucose monitoring

Biosens Bioelectron. 2024 Dec 21:271:117081. doi: 10.1016/j.bios.2024.117081. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Programa de Pós-Graduação em Engenharia Elétrica, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, MG, 31270-901, Brazil.
² Departamento de Engenharia Eletrônica, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, MG, 31270-901, Brazil.
³ Instituto de Ciências Tecnológicas, Universidade Federal de Itajubá, Itabira, MG, 35903-087, Brazil.
⁴ Serviço de Endocrinologia e Metabologia, Hospital das Clínicas da Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, MG, 30130-100, Brazil.
⁵ Facultad de Ciencias Básicas e Ingenieria, Universidad Católica de Pereira, Pereira, Risaralda, Colombia.
⁶ Programa de Pós-Graduação em Engenharia Elétrica, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, MG, 31270-901, Brazil; Departamento de Engenharia Eletrônica, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, MG, 31270-901, Brazil.
⁷ Serviço de Endocrinologia e Metabologia, Hospital das Clínicas da Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, MG, 30130-100, Brazil; Departamento de Clínica Médica da Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, MG, 30130-100, Brazil.
⁸ Programa de Pós-Graduação em Engenharia Elétrica, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, MG, 31270-901, Brazil; Departamento de Ciência da Computação, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, MG, 31270-901, Brazil.
⁹ Department of Biomedical Engineering, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR, 97239, USA.
¹⁰ Programa de Pós-Graduação em Engenharia Elétrica, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, MG, 31270-901, Brazil; Departamento de Engenharia Eletrônica, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, MG, 31270-901, Brazil. Electronic address: jcordoba@cpdee.ufmg.br.

PMID: 39729755
DOI: 10.1016/j.bios.2024.117081

Abstract

Frequent glucose monitoring is essential for effective diabetes management. Currently, glucose monitoring is done using invasive methods such as finger-pricking and subcutaneous sensing. However, these methods can cause discomfort, heighten the risk of infection, and some sensing devices need frequent calibration. Non-invasive glucose monitoring technologies have attracted significant attention due to their potential to overcome the limitations of their invasive counterparts by offering painless and convenient alternatives. This review focuses on two prominent approaches to non-invasive glucose sensing: optical- and microwave-based methods. On one hand, optical techniques, including Raman and near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy, leverage the unique spectral properties of glucose molecules to measure their concentration in tissues and biofluids. On the other hand, microwave sensing leverages the dielectric properties of glucose to detect concentration changes based on impedance measurements. Despite their promise, optical- and microwave-based technologies face challenges such as signal interference and high variability due to tissue heterogeneity, which impact their accuracy and reliability. This review provides a comprehensive overview of the advancements of these non-invasive methods, highlighting their technical implementation, limitations, and their future potential in revolutionizing glucose monitoring for diabetes care.

Keywords: Continuous glucose monitoring (CGM); Diabetes management technology; Microwave glucose sensors; Non-invasive glucose monitoring; Optical glucose sensors.