Painful tests may soon be a thing of the past with University of Newcastle researchers developing a world-first, pain-free diabetes test, set to change the lives of more than 460 million people living with diabetes globally.

The new test replaces painful finger-prick blood glucose testing with an ultra-thin, chewing gum stick-sized device that, when licked, reacts to detect glucose at the 100 times less concentrated levels found in saliva.

The sensors represent a fundamental shift in disease management, removing typical barriers to health testing such as pain, cost and availability. They could be developed for application across 130 indications including tumour markers, hormones and allergens.

Learn more about this ground-breaking technology from Professor Paul Dastoor, a research leader in the Centre for Organic Electronics at the University of Newcastle. Professor Dastoor will also be joined by Dr Benjamin Vaughan and Dr Xiaojing Zhou.

The panel will answer as many of your questions about biosensor technology and its potential applications for disease management as time permits.

If you wish to support this amazing research, please go to newcastle.edu.au/biosensor-research-donation

About Professor Paul Dastoor:

Addressing global issues as diverse as the energy crisis, diabetes and mining safety, Professor Paul Dastoor and his team are at the forefront of the emerging field of organic electronics.
Designing revolutionary devices such as solar paint and needle-free glucose tests, Professor Dastoor's innovations are set to improve the environment and lives of communities around the world.

About Dr Benjamin Vaughan:

Dr Benjamin Vaughan is the Australian National Fabrication Facility (ANFF) Manager within the Newcastle Hub of the Materials Node. With his team, Dr Vaughan helps researchers and industry develop new technologies using the capabilities available at the Newcastle ANFF Hub. Dr Vaughan also manages the many projects the Newcastle ANFF team are involved with, including large-scale demonstration installations of printed solar panels and the development of biomedical devices.

About Dr Xiaojing Zhou:

Dr Xiaojing Zhou is a senior lecturer at the University of Newcastle, Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia.
She obtained her Ph.D in Chemistry in 2006 from the University of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada, and worked in the research field of organo-silicon surface/interface. She moved to Australia in 2006 and worked as a research fellow under the supervision of Professor Michelle Simmons in the field of semiconductor nano-devices at the University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia.
In 2007, she joined the newly established Priority Research Centre for Organic Electronics at the University of Newcastle. In Newcastle, she has been working in the fields of novel organic semiconductors, organic electronics for sensing and photovoltaic applications.