Physicist Lee Kie-jin pioneers non-invasive blood sugar testing

Physicist Lee Kie-jin, a professor at Sogang University, has successfully measured blood sugar levels without the need to draw blood.

Prof. Lee Kie-jin and his daughter CL [SCREEN CAPTURE]

Physicist Lee Kie-jin, a professor at Sogang University, has successfully measured blood sugar levels without the need to draw blood.

Lee, who is also the father of 2NE1 member CL, collaborated with Armenian researcher Zhirayr Baghdasaryan to use a CCD camera to measure blood sugar levels in rats, achieving a Mean Absolute Relative Difference (MARD) of 7.05 percent in clinical tests, the university said on Sunday.

A CCD camera is an image sensor that converts images into electrical signals. His research team had previously developed a CCD camera sensor using microwaves.

This development offers hope for alleviating the discomfort and unsanitary conditions associated with traditional blood sugar testing methods.

Lee previously appeared on tvN’s "You Quiz on the Block" in 2021, where he discussed his research.

Lee Kie-jin, a professor at the Department of Physics at Sogang University, left, and researcher Zhirayr Baghdasaryan [SOGANG UNIVERSITY]

“It’s painful for individuals with diabetes to measure blood sugar by drawing blood. I likened people to grapes and believed that research into measuring sugar levels in fruit could be applied to how we check blood sugar in humans," Lee said.

Lee also disclosed that he once turned down a large offer from a Chinese company for the transfer of his technology during the talk show.

"I was out of funds for research at the time," he said. "But my conscience said no."

BY WOO JI-WON [woo.jiwon@joongang.co.kr]