Scattering-independent glucose absorption measurement using a spectrally resolved reflectance setup with specialized variable source-detector separations

We report a novel approach for the accurate measurement of glucose absorption in turbid media using a spectrally resolved reflectance setup. Our proposed reflectance setup with specialized variable source-detector separations enables scattering-independent absorption measurement, which is critical to in vivo long-term glucose concentration monitoring. Starting from the first-order approximation of the radiative transfer equation (RTE), we developed a scattering-independent glucose absorption measurement method and then evaluated this approach by Monte Carlo simulations as well as tissue-mimicking phantom studies in which glucose concentration was accurately measured. Our study demonstrates the potential of our proposed scattering-independent absorption measurement technique as an effective tool to quantify glucose levels in turbid media, which is an important step towards future in vivo long-term glucose concentration monitoring in human subjects.