Diabetes hope on the wings of cicadas silver

Surf posters search to a scientific conference in the year 2002, Paul Stoddart has been confused. Before him was an electron microscope for the registration of a cicada wing, who demonstrated, line by line microscopic pillars assessed on the wing surface, a model similar to the nanostructured Dr. Stoddart was looking for improvement the sensitivity of a spectroscopic technique, he was with.

This opportunity saw Dr. Stoddart, associate scientist at the Swinburne University of Technology, and many days Scrub-S Search for the cicadas, the elimination of their wings and the silver lining. This was not amateur-type experience, there was a way of refining a fiber optic sensor, monitoring of blood glucose in humans.

"When I saw these models to work on cicada wings, I thought it might be of interest to the sensor application. So, I have a wing covered with silver and a found very good results, "says Stoddart.

"The wings have a coating to prevent the sun and their camouflage. It appears that this type of anti-reflective coating is exactly the type of nano-structure of the art spectroscopic - Surface Enhanced Raman Scattering - which we must take advantage.

"The scale of the surface of a wing of the roughness, that suits our needs. When the laser light to the rough surface, the coating silver or gold, the light interacts with electrons from the surface such that the Raman-scattering (the scattering of photons of light) is a factor of a million ... in other words, there is an effect of enlargement. "

Plus, especially the pillars of the cicada wing adds a regularity, the reply, the results are more accurate.

Dr. Stoddart Swinburne and colleagues on the center of atom optics and spectroscopy Ultra Fast Surface Enhanced Raman Scattering in the development of a device, constant monitoring of blood glucose in people with diabetes.

The research team has developed and patented a fiber optic probe, which are used for human blood glucose in real time, instead of the regular tests diabetics have to manage themselves through the day. The probe fits in a small-Gauge Needle and Dr. Stoddart that provides both in a wristwatch-style device. "The clock, the laser and optics and the needle, with the fiber sensor is placed with one end of the needle is in the other device into the skin.

Essential to the success of such equipment is seeking a means of glucose in the blood for the interaction with the sensor, Dr. Stoddart said.

"Optical fibers are of diameter of a hair at the hair, we are building this sensor device," he says. "For the sensor technology on fiber optics must be a nano metal surface, preferably gold or silver, to the point," he said. "The surface of the metal interaction with light by optical fibers and strengthen the signal from the surface of glucose Enhanced Raman Scattering. The signal is then in a reading of blood glucose by a spectrum analyzer that is in the device.

"The fact that it is a fiber optic sensor is important because it eliminates the problems encountered in the alignment of the sentence of focused laser beam to the sensor surface," says Stoddart.

"The end of passive fiber to fiber optics can rigidly mounted to fit accurate laser sensor may be the end to remain flexible to come into contact with the sample. In this way, the sensor is packaged in a thin flexible and inserted into the needle from the skin with a minimum of complaints. "

Traditionally, fiber optic sensors were for industrial applications such as monitoring the temperature of the oil wells, rooted in the sensor bridges or in the fiber optic tops in aircraft. Their use in medical devices now fully explored.

Dr. Stoddart hopes that the fiber optic sensors are used as an alternative to the finger-prick test to measure blood glucose. During this test is a small lancet to puncture the fingertip and the blood that results is a test strip. The band is in a blood glucose monitor that reads blood sugar levels.

"The problem with the finger-Prick test, you will receive your instant glucose level five or six measurements per day, but you do not know what these measures," said Dr Stoddart.

"Our mini-invasive monitoring. If you want a controlled system, you need continuous monitoring."

Dr. Barry Dixon, director of clinical research at the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) from Melbourne's St Vincent's Hospital, said there is a need for clinical monitoring of glucose that is less invasive and more effective methods current.

Critical patients in intensive medical care are unstable and have problems with glucose syrups or control, so that their blood glucose levels are checked regularly, said Dr. Dixon.

"At the time of ICU-hour measures of glycemia and discover, such as insulin, we need a lot," said Dr. Dixon. "Our department has 12 beds for intensive with 12 patients, we would be the fact that almost all the time. That adds up to a quantity of blood tests and a lot of time to measure insulin needs.

In the long term, I hope we can measure glucose continuously, if the device is in the skin of a small distance, and that, as technology improves, the measures are non-invasive and does can be a source of light. "

This new application for fiber optic sensors with Diabetes Research Trust Australia seed funding for research Swinburne. Additional resources over the past five years by the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) and ASX listed company BIOPHARMICA Ltd (BPH), research successes.

At this time Dr. Stoddart is the device about the size of a lunch. Although some of the components must be large, research is now focusing on improving the stability of the sensor.

He says, for glucose in the blood, the sensor for the metal surface must be treated with a chemical. "You have the intimate connection between the sensor and glucose, the extent," he says.

Commercially available chemicals were tested and the treatment team, with the presence of glucose at lower physiological levels in which they occur in humans.

"At this stage, the surface treatment for a few minutes, we must improve in several days.", Says Dr. Stoddart methods well established, there is to be done, but must be ongoing.

It provides the device shows that its sensor replaced every two days. For this sensor must be integrated quickly and in large numbers. This is where the cicada wing important.

Mr. Stoddart, in collaboration with the Junior-Professor Arnan Mitchell's, the RMIT University, was created by a technique called Nanoimprint lithography for copies of the wings of an insect model of nano-scale. The technique is a form of the wing surface and press it into a layer of plastic heated to the head of an optical fiber. This creates an exact copy of this model nanoscopic impression on each wing. The Council may be printed and then covered with gold or silver, for the sensor.

Dr. Stoddart said his team for the first time-Nanoimprint Lithography to form a council of one hour has been established. "The financing of the NHMRC has enabled us to grow, with a factor of 100 in this game and make the process economically viable. Given that the sensors, we are available, must be able to do." At the current pace of progress, it would be appreciated the device for testing in five years.

"The development of medical applications for fiber optic sensors, we can find a way to make a difference to people's lives," he says. "Every time I speak I diabetes work of Show of Hands people with a family member or friend with diabetes, it is surprising that many people on their mains. not you that when you click with oil wells. "

Fiber optics consultation help surgeons to "see"

Cochlear implants, or bionic ear, has improved dramatically in the hearing of more than 150,000 people worldwide. But in a few cases, that the process of implantation of the device may be sensitive to structures of the cochlea (the snail-shaped structure of the inner ear, the organ of hearing).

At a fair in 2007, Dr Paul Stoddart, Swinburne worked for the Center for atom optics and spectroscopy, ultra-fast, with representatives of Australia Ltd cochlear implant manufacturers and has begun on the potential of a fiber optic detection devices to prevent potential tissue damage cochlear implantation.

"There might be consultation on the left, so it would be better if the surgeons say, at implantation, when they are opposed to the fine cochlear structures," says Stoddart.

The head of the cochlear implant, the design and development Capcelea Edmond said, it is important to reduce the trauma on the internal structures in cochlear implantation.

"Trauma to reduce the recording is really interesting," he says. "For now, this procedure is without direct return to the registration of the electrode array into the cochlea. Direct Instant return during recording is better, behind the reactions, such as patient performance.

"This development, which we are, with the Swinburne University of Technology is part of our efforts to develop intelligent systems or Superior electrode array, in which surgeons for clarification, if it touches on the delicate tissue of cochlear electrode registration table. "

In collaboration with cochlea, Dr. Stoddart investigation Bragg fiber of the grid electrodes in the matrix of cochlear implants, where it could be used for the insertion of the field by the surgeon.

"Fiber-optic Bragg-grid for the first time in the telecommunications industry for the manufacture of optical fiber, but fiber can also be used for the collection," says Dr. Stoddart.

Fiber Bragg Grating in a grid of optical fibers, where the wavelengths of light and the other. "If the fibers can be formed over wavelength and you can compress the wavelengths shorter, it is a good extension," says Stoddart.

"This is a very nice way of an optical fiber without discrete filter elements, everything can be done in the fiber optics."

Dr. Stoddart said the research aims at a fiber Bragg in the grid electrode array cochlear implants, if they recognize the pressure on the internal structures of the ear through the supervision of a lag length of wave.

"In due course, we want the first test of these sensors in an implant. It is a very important development, if we can, for these fibers routine implants.