Dr. Joseph Chaiken is going to change the world – or at the very least make it a little healthier.

The chemistry professor at Syracuse University is on the cutting edge of diabetes technology. He has patented the first working device that tests blood glucose level without a single drop of blood. This revolutionary technology will ease diabetics’ control of their disease, and in turn, pave the way for multiple at-home self-examinations for the average person; things that can now only be checked at the doctor’s office.

‘It’s painful to check yourself five to 10 times a day, and (diabetics) … should do it but don’t, so less complications makes for a better job in taking care of yourself,’ Chaiken said.

Diabetics must check their blood glucose level multiple times a day so they can bring it to the ideal range of 80 to 150 milligrams per deciliter with an injection of insulin, a hormone that a non-diabetic’s pancreas creates normally. The current standard for testing glucose level involves pricking the fingers or, more recently, the arm, to draw out blood and apply it to a specialized strip. This strip is fed into a monitor, which reads the level of glucose within the blood.

Chaiken’s machine, called the LighTouch, uses no needles at all, but instead focuses a laser to measure the spectroscopic signals while the blood is still in the body. This is accomplished by taking two readings of a laser, first with no pressure applied to the finger and then with light pressure, then analyzing the contents of the blood. The analysis is formed by looking at the various colors of post-laser light that exit the finger, which pinpoint the different types of chemicals within the tissue. The machine then compares the measurements of the colors that moved under the added pressure, for example the blood, and analyzes the glucose within to find the level.

‘It’s going to have a huge effect,’ Chaiken said. ‘First off, diabetes itself is a multi-billion dollar a year business. If you don’t need (the strips and needles) anymore, it will make the cost of heath care that much cheaper for everyone.’

The glucose monitoring project began in 1998 when Chaiken was working on a different task requiring a specific kind of laser, which he could only get from a company that was also trying to build a non-invasive glucose monitoring system. The company was willing to give Chaiken a few lasers if he did analysis on its glucose project. Chaiken immediately issued his first words of wisdom: Forget about it and do something else.

‘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.

‘His project is very noble; he’s going to be helping people directly,’ said Lauren Piaente, one of Chaiken’s research assistants and a junior chemistry major. ‘He’s spent six years on this, and he keeps getting closer and closer, and he loves it. It’s really very interesting and very needed in this day and age.’

Outside the research lab, Chaiken teaches different science courses, ranging from non-major freshmen all the way to the graduate level, and also runs different scholarship programs and groups of freshman forum.

‘He’s one of our more effective teachers,’ said Zubieta. ‘He’s willing to spend as long as it takes to get a point across, and he has a real concern for graduate and undergraduate students. Many students come and give glowing recommendations of Joe.’

Chaiken is also an accomplished blues guitar player and plays in clubs and bars across Syracuse, especially Dinosaur Bar-B-Q, because they feed him when he’s done playing, Chaiken said.

‘He’s a fun guy in a lot of ways; he has a lot of enthusiasm about whatever he does,’ said Jerry Goodisman, vice chair of the chemistry department.

Although he is originally from Miami, Chaiken said he loves Syracuse for the changes of season and the lack of palm trees, even though the snow can be a little much. He also loves Syracuse because of the academic integrity the school carries, and the quality of the environment for ideas to be born and grow.

‘I started going on university campuses as I was a teenager, and I have never left,’ Chaiken said. ‘You should be able to argue with people and no one should be getting mad about it. You win some, you lose some, but more important, you always learn something, and I like that.’

Chaiken doesn’t see himself as a leader, but instead someone who is just trying to make a difference in the world. He always tells the people he works with to pick what is important and go after it, if only because there is money to be made in it – but usually there is at least one better reason than that, Chaiken said.

‘I always tell my students that at some point they are going to want to pick the most important thing of the day and see if they can make a difference with it,’ Chaiken said. ‘If you get something that is truly important, don’t worry – people will follow you.’

Published on November 14, 2005 at 12:00 pm