If it is often synonymous with spitting or even insulting, saliva is nonetheless an essential element of our body and could allow various medical tests to be carried out in the future, just like blood tests. In fact, saliva can be an effective tool to detect oral diseases, but also much more serious diseases, such as cancer or Alzheimer’s disease.
And it is in this sense that the American company Lura Health, manufacturers of medical devices, has developed a “salivary diagnostic” sensor. Presented in the form of a microscopic chip, the tool could soon be placed on molars around the world to constantly monitor users’ saliva, and therefore their health.
waiting for validation
Equipped with a battery and a Bluetooth system, the chip could even allow users to analyze their health in real time thanks to the data sent by the device. Alerts can also be sent in the event of a concerning health issue.
Lura Health thus boasts of having solved one of the true challenges of this type of tool: useful life. Often equipped with a battery that cannot last over time, the devices developed until then could not be used efficiently.
But before seeing these chips land on teeth, Lura Health will have to clear the hurdle of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the US authority in charge of clinical trials. The company says it has completed testing with the University of Connecticut, an academic medical center. Trials with the FDA should take place in the coming months with, in perspective, a commercialization within 12 to 18 months.
Source: BFM TV
