Abstract

Diabetes is a metabolic disorder, which occurs either because of a lack of insulin or because of the presence of factors that oppose the action of insulin. There is currently no cure for diabetes and the control of elevated blood glucose levels, without causing abnormally low levels, is the major goal in treating diabetes. Reasonable control is now relatively easily achieved with a blood glucose meter/glucose biosensor. Currently, there are more than 40 commercialized devices for detecting blood glucose levels. As a result of intense competition, companies have resorted to a strategy where existing technology has been pragmatically optimized to meet commercial objectives, such as small size and fast response time. As a consequence of this continual development, commercial practice often differs from the theoretical papers appearing in the literature. This chapter will focus on commercial biosensors and the underlying science behind their functionality.