On Dec. 3, 2025, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) engineers announced they can accurately measure blood glucose by shining near-infrared light on the skin. A noninvasive method for measuring blood glucose levels, developed at MIT, could save diabetes patients from having to prick their fingers several times a day.

The MIT team used Raman spectroscopy — a technique that reveals the chemical composition of tissues by shining near-infrared or visible light on them — to develop a shoebox-sized device that can measure blood glucose levels without any needles.

In tests in a healthy volunteer, the researchers found that the measurements from their device were similar to those obtained by commercial continuous glucose monitoring sensors that require a wire to be implanted under the skin.

While the device presented in this study is too large to be used as a wearable sensor, the researchers have since developed a wearable version that they are now testing in a small clinical study.

The study was published in the journal Analytical Chemistry.