Taipei, October 14, 2025 — A National Taiwan University (NTU) interdisciplinary research team, led by Prof. Chi-Kuang Sun and Prof. Tzung-Dau Wang, has unveiled a groundbreaking optical imaging technique that enables the reconstruction of an individual’s historical blood glucose patterns—information that has long been beyond the reach of current medical technology. This innovation holds transformative potential for diabetes management and early cancer detection. The study was published in Science Advances.

Glycemic variation, reflected through fluctuations in blood glucose levels, is not only a key metric in precision diabetes care but is increasingly recognized as a biomarker for the early detection and risk assessment of several cancers, including pancreatic and gastric cancers. Yet, existing monitoring systems such as continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) can only capture short-term glucose dynamics, leaving past glycemic history undocumented and inaccessible for clinical or research purposes.

Recognizing that circulating red blood cells (RBCs) have varying life spans, the research team discovered that the glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) content in younger RBCs reflects recent blood glucose levels, while that in older RBCs represents long-term glycemic exposure. By analyzing the distribution of HbA1c across individual RBCs, it becomes possible to retrospectively reconstruct a person’s glycemic trajectory over the entire 120-day lifespan of RBCs.

To realize this concept, the team developed a theoretical RBC glycation model that quantitatively links historical blood glucose changes to single-cell HbA1c distributions. They then translated this model into practice by introducing a pioneering optical imaging technique: color-resolved third-harmonic-generation microscopy (cTHGM).

cTHGM is a label-free, virtually absorption-free chemical imaging technology capable of high-specificity, high-throughput molecular analysis within living cells. Using a wavelength-tunable laser, assisted by NTU alumnus Tzu-Ming Liu, currently a professor at University of Macau, the researchers first jointly demonstrated that a subtle (~2 nm) spectral shift in the Soret absorption band can distinguish HbA1c from normal hemoglobin (Hb) via resonant-enhanced third-harmonic generation (THG).

Building on this principle, NTU developed the broadband femtosecond-laser–based cTHGM system to simultaneously capture THG spectra of HbA1c and Hb within individual RBCs in a single-beam clinical configuration.

The study at NTU hospital successfully demonstrated that cTHGM can noninvasively quantify HbA1c levels in single RBCs both ex vivo and in vivo. Remarkably, the HbA1c distribution measured from a preclinical patient closely matched the theoretical simulation, confirming that cTHGM can reconstruct personal glycemic histories.

“If continuous glucose monitoring is like capturing a two-week video clip of glucose fluctuations, our cTHGM imaging is akin to reviewing the complete surveillance footage covering an entire 120-day RBC lifespan,” said Chi-Kuang Sun, professor of photonics and optoelectronics. “This capability fundamentally changes how we can study and monitor long-term glycemic dynamics,” said Tzung-Dau Wang, professor of internal medicine.

The implications extend far beyond diabetes. By unlocking access to retrospective glycemic information, cTHGM opens new pathways for metabolism-related cancer research, early disease screening, and broader color-sensitive biomedical applications.

PAHO highlights urgent need to accelerate hypertension control

Over 6 million people are receiving treatment for hypertension through the HEARTS in the Americas initiative, which is active in 28 countries across the Region—and 60% of them have achieved blood pressure control.

New York, September 23, 2025 (PAHO)— At a United Nations General Assembly side event at the Yale Club, Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) Director Dr. Jarbas Barbosa called for urgent action to scale up hypertension control in the Americas.

Co-hosted by the World Health Organization (WHO), Resolve to Save Lives, and Bloomberg Philanthropies, the event coincided with the release of WHO’s second Global Hypertension Report, which shows 1.4 billion people worldwide live with high blood pressure, but only one in five have it under control.

“The report confirms what we already know: hypertension remains the world’s deadliest yet most manageable health threat,” Dr. Barbosa said. “Behind these numbers are millions of preventable strokes, heart attacks, kidney failure, dementia, disabilities, and premature deaths.”

The WHO report details gaps in hypertension prevention and treatment, especially in low- and middle-income countries where only 28% have consistent availability of all WHO-recommended hypertension medicines in pharmacies or primary care facilities, compared to 93% in high-income nations. Uncontrolled hypertension costs these countries an estimated US$3.7 trillion between 2011 and 2025—about 2% of their combined GDP.

Yet, “successful interventions are possible—and they are happening,” Dr. Barbosa emphasized. Countries that prioritize hypertension control, adopt strong public health policies like reducing salt and tobacco, and strengthen primary care with standardized protocols and access to medicines are seeing better outcomes.

HEARTS initiative: A model for success
HEARTS in the Americas initiative—which implements WHO’s Global HEARTS technical package—exemplifies this progress. “Today, 33 countries are committed to HEARTS, 28 are actively implementing it, 12 have integrated it into over 80% of their primary care networks, and more than 10,000 facilities participate. Over 6 million people are receiving hypertension treatment, with 60% achieving blood pressure control.”

He highlighted HEARTS’ transformative impact: In El Salvador and Cuba, HEARTS has catalyzed the transformation of primary care. In the Dominican Republic, more than 4 million people now benefit from free treatment for hypertension and diabetes. In Chile, trained pharmacists and nurses manage patients following the HEARTS clinical pathway, based on a task-shifting model. In Ecuador, HEARTS training has been adopted as a national strategy. Additionally, 1.5 million health workers have been trained through PAHO’s Virtual Campus.

He noted that HEARTS has shown how evidence can be translated into action at scale—“by simplifying clinical decisions, improving continuity of care, enabling task-sharing, and ensuring reliable access to medicines and validated devices.”

The initiative is also helping countries reimagine how they manage cardiovascular, kidney, and metabolic diseases in primary care. “These achievements prove the tools work—and give us confidence that we can accelerate progress in hypertension control and management of NCDs even further.”

Scaling up for Sustainable Development Goals
With just five years left to meet the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 3.4—reducing premature mortality from NCDs by one-third—Dr. Barbosa stressed the urgency of expanding successful interventions. “PAHO is building on the successes of HEARTS to scale up the comprehensive ‘Better Care for NCDs’ initiative,” he said. He also highlighted the PAHO Strategic Fund, which supports pooled procurement of quality-assured medicines and technologies at competitive prices.

“We know the cost of inaction — millions of lives lost prematurely to preventable diseases,” Dr. Barbosa concluded. “The tools exist, the evidence is clear, and now is the time to act with urgency, equity, and solidarity to ensure that we achieve the global targets for NCDs, leaving no one behind”.

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