Spring Break
The Daily OrangeJoseph Chaiken: No more blood to be shed over diabetes control
By Alex Shebar
Posted: 11/14/05, 11:14 PM EST Section: Pulp
"I've always counseled my students that you have to use your best judgment about projects you can't win, because loser projects will only take up your career time," Chaiken said. "(The glucose project) has been around a long time, and no one is able to do it. There are hundreds of dead bodies, both business and medical, of people who have tried to do it and failed."
Yet, the company was determined to work on it, so Chaiken agreed to help for a few months, and after some careful analysis, he realized that with new technology on the market, the project was actually a feasible one, and has since been trying to make glucose testing a more comfortable experience.
"They now use those commercials with B.B. King, who doesn't want to have his fingers sore all the time because they are his livelihood. I think that's a lot of people's barrier to compliance for why they can't bring themselves to stick themselves," said William Finney, a former research assistant of Chaiken's and an SU alumnus. "Complications from diabetes are a big source of health problems in this country, and anything that makes people be more compliant will make them have a longer, healthier life."
As of now, the machine takes about 200 seconds to accurately measure glucose levels and is being tested for possible problems before being sent to the Federal Drug Administration for approval.
"What's really distinctive about Joe is his ability and desire to think outside the box; to take on some true intellectual and professional challenges," said Jon Zubieta, chairman of the chemistry department at SU. "The glucose detection is quite risky and required a certain amount of professional courage to undertake. So I think this is really a testament both to his imagination and creativity and to his tenacity as a scientist."
Chaiken is currently working on fund raising to make the LighTouch accessible for everyday life. In the future, the machine will be available only in doctor's offices and then will be modified to a portable version for everyday use, Chaiken said. The technology could be adapted to check for multiple conditions - anything from finding levels of cholesterol and sodium in the body to checking moles to see if they are pre-developed skin cancer, all of which could be done from the comfort of one's own home.
Yet, the company was determined to work on it, so Chaiken agreed to help for a few months, and after some careful analysis, he realized that with new technology on the market, the project was actually a feasible one, and has since been trying to make glucose testing a more comfortable experience.
"They now use those commercials with B.B. King, who doesn't want to have his fingers sore all the time because they are his livelihood. I think that's a lot of people's barrier to compliance for why they can't bring themselves to stick themselves," said William Finney, a former research assistant of Chaiken's and an SU alumnus. "Complications from diabetes are a big source of health problems in this country, and anything that makes people be more compliant will make them have a longer, healthier life."
As of now, the machine takes about 200 seconds to accurately measure glucose levels and is being tested for possible problems before being sent to the Federal Drug Administration for approval.
"What's really distinctive about Joe is his ability and desire to think outside the box; to take on some true intellectual and professional challenges," said Jon Zubieta, chairman of the chemistry department at SU. "The glucose detection is quite risky and required a certain amount of professional courage to undertake. So I think this is really a testament both to his imagination and creativity and to his tenacity as a scientist."
Chaiken is currently working on fund raising to make the LighTouch accessible for everyday life. In the future, the machine will be available only in doctor's offices and then will be modified to a portable version for everyday use, Chaiken said. The technology could be adapted to check for multiple conditions - anything from finding levels of cholesterol and sodium in the body to checking moles to see if they are pre-developed skin cancer, all of which could be done from the comfort of one's own home.
