DeNovo Meter

Diabetics need to measure their blood glucose levels on a daily basis to effectively monitor their disease, however test strips and glucometers are often too expensive for people in developing world settings. There is a need for simple, cost-effective monitoring devices in these low-resource areas.

The DeNovo Meter pairs an optical reader and disposable paper strips, which allows for safe, accurate, and inexpensive measuring of blood glucose levels. The locally manufactured colorimetric paper test-strips cost only 2 cents, which is 1/50 of the market price.

Designed by:

• 3 juniors at MIT; Paul Hlebowitsh, Allen Lin and Deepali Ravel
• 3 MIT alumni; Priyanka Jain, Shichao Liang and Yi Wang

Location: Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States

Clinical trials were conducted in two rural areas of Nicaragua.

This device was funded through the MIT IDEAS Global Challenge and private funds.

DeNovo Glucometer. (n.d.). D-Lab: Development through Dialogue, Design and Dissemination. Link available here.

DeNovo Meter. (n.d.). MIT IDEAS Global Challenge. Link available here.