Young Bryanston scientist revolutionises blood glucose testing
BRYANSTON – Hritik Mitha was awarded a partial scholarship by Wits University’s Faculty of Engineering and Built Environment for his project.
Painful pricking may be a thing of the past after brilliant young scientist Hritik Mitha developed a new and innovative way of testing blood glucose levels.
The ‘non-invasive blood glucose level monitoring device’ is aimed at alleviating the side effects of the invasive glucometer test.
The Bryanston High School Grade 12 learner, who is Eskom Expo for Young Scientists’ top senior scientist of last year, competed against thousands of scientists in this year’s Virtual Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) in the USA this month.
According to Hritik, testing blood glucose is often painful, costly and it is an inconvenience for people with diabetes to test blood glucose levels with an invasive method. “I believed that a non-invasive mechanism to measure glucose levels would mitigate these problems and would help people with diabetes around the world, which is why I aspired to create a device that could measure glucose levels non-invasively.”
He developed prototypes that proved to be practical and effective in measuring glucose levels to a clinical standard.
According to Andrew Etzinger, Eskom general manager of risk and sustainability, Hritik’s research deals with a newer, more creative and less invasive way to test blood glucose levels, making it not just contemporary but also very relevant and significant for those living with diabetes. “Participating in a prestigious and competitive science fair such as the Regeneron ISEF, demands quality research of the highest standards, such as the work done by Hritik, making him a good contender for this competition.”
The support from friends, family and the school has been invaluable, Hritik admitted. “They have always provided me with much-needed encouragement and guidance which helped me to pursue my endeavours irrespective of the challenges I faced.”
Hritik hoped to make further developments to the technology involved in his project’s prototype and start clinical trials to ensure that the prototypes can measure blood glucose levels accurately, while still remaining practical and affordable to the public.
He was awarded a partial scholarship by Wits University’s Faculty of Engineering and Built Environment for his project.
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