The Royal Society of Chemistry Thames Valley section and the Society of Biology Thames Valley branch organised a joint event at Reading University on 31 October 2012.

“Blood Sugar Sensors Monitoring Diabetes: Electrochemistry and Enzymes Put to a Useful Purpose” was the story of how the glucose sensor was invented. As the instrument that gives diabetics control over their sugar levels and allows them to be in charge, its invention is one of the greatest stories in modern chemistry.

Speaker Allen Hill, Emeritus Professor of Bioinorganic Chemistry at the University of Oxford and Honorary Fellow of The Queen's College, Oxford, and Tony Cass, Professor of Chemical Biology in the Dept. of Chemistry and Institute of Biomedical Engineering at Imperial College London and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry told this very personal story.

Professor Hill developed the subject of Bioelectrochemistry in the 1970s and was concerned with the development of biosensors, particularly the glucose sensor for convenient use by diabetics, in the 1980s.


Professor Cass pioneered the use of synthetic electron transfer mediators for enzyme biosensors and his work in this area led to the development of the first electronic blood glucose measuring system. Currently he is working on minimally invasive devices for continuous glucose sensing.


“Following the RSC Landmark Award awarded earlier this year for the research into the Blood Sugar Sensor; Prof. Allen Hill and Prof. Tony Cass both provided excellent talks on the research, development and future of these sensors, which are now used by millions of diabetics every year. The lectures were preceded by a free buffet dinner and drinks, which provided members of both the SoB and RSC an opportunity to socialise together. Over 30 members attended this event.”

To find out more about the Thames Valley Section’s past and forthcoming events, including Top of the Bench, family lecture “As if by magic” and Functional foods: good science or marketing hype?, visit their webpage.