Unlike current blood sensors, this incredible new MEDIC sensor can measure levels of almost any molecule you like. Tests done on live rats and in human whole blood demonstrated the system's versatility, showing that it could accurately measure chemicals in the blood at all times.



Here's an explanation on how it works:
The sensor in the device consists of shape-changing probes, switches that can only be flipped by the right molecule. The greater the concentration of a drug in solution, the more switches will get flipped. The biosensor is versatile; it can be reconfigured to measure different drugs by swapping out the probes on the chip with different ones. To keep out the sticky stuff found in blood, the surface of the sensor is equipped with a special kind of filter that lets fast-diffusing medications rapidly cross the barrier.
Depending on your stance on drugs, this could either be a medical miracle or the ultimate surveillance device.
The researchers hope to broaden the device's sensor abilities further, allowing researchers to test for a range of molecules like proteins and drug metabolites. This would help them track a patient's disease in real time.

But if they managed to create the device as a small, wearable package, that would mean that employers can then force their employees to wear these to prove they aren't using recreational drugs after work; or police officers could be allowed to ask to see your sensor, the same way they can see your ID. Science really can be scary sometimes.

Read the full article in Science Translational Medicine