The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has published a patent application filed by Google back in 2014 regarding a device that is able to draw blood without the use of a needle.

The needle-free blood draw patent filing describes a device that uses an accelerator barrel that is housed within an evacuated negative-pressure barrel with a membrane sealing an aperture at a distal end, and a housing affixed to a proximal end and fixed to a cylindrical housing. The chamber between the two barrels can be filled with pressurized gas, which can be a container of compressed gas, a chemically reactive gas pressure generator apparatus, an electro-chemical gas pressure generator apparatus, and a mechanical pressure generator. Then, a trigger valve can hydrostatically separate the chamber from the open proximal end of the accelerator barrel. When activated, the trigger valve launches a micro-particle contained in the accelerator barrel to pierce the aperture membrane and penetrate the skin to draw blood and store it in the negative-pressure barrel.

Handheld or wearable blood draw device

The patent also stated that the device can be held or worn. This could mean if the patent application is granted and Google decides to push through with this technology, future smartwatches or fitness bands can be fitted with the system, making it easier for people with diabetes to monitor their blood glucose.

This is not the first time Google has dabbled with technology that aims to help diabetics better manage their condition. In early 2014, it announced a project that involved utilizing contact lenses with embedded tiny wireless chips and miniaturized glucose sensors between two layers of soft contact lens material. And just last August, Google partnered with Dexcom, Inc., a company that specializes in continuous glucose monitoring devices, to develop a device that resembles a dime-sized adhesive bandage for glucose monitoring, which are also cheap and disposable for hygienic purposes.

How far could this technology go?

Though not indicated in the filing, the technology, if developed, could easily be integrated to work seamlessly with mobile devices and the cloud. Blood drawn by the device could be analyzed by the wearable device itself, and the reading could instantly be reflected on the wearable device or on the user’s smartphone or tablet. The data could also be made immediately available to the person’s healthcare provider for continuous care purposes.

Google is not the only company aiming to make blood glucose monitoring pain-free for people with diabetes. Abbott Diabetes Care, Inc. offers the FreeStyle Libre Flash Glucose Monitoring System. The system utilizes a small sensor worn on the upper arm. The sensor measures glucose every minute in the interstitial fluid via a small (5mm long, 0.4mm wide) filament inserted just under the skin and held in place with a small adhesive pad. Users will then just have to scan the sensor using the FreeStyle Libre Reader, which stores all the data obtained by the sensor.

Image source: Google via USPTO patent applicaiton