With a simple prick of the finger, people living with diabetes can instantly monitor their blood glucose levels and better manage their condition. Modern technology and commercialization have made these detection devices widely available to patients, who can now purchase them at local pharmacies. The OneTouch home-based kit is one such product currently being used by countless people worldwide to help monitor blood glucose levels. The OneTouch kit uses test strips which would not have become readily available without the ingenuity of Dr. That Ngo.
That Ngo left Indonesia in the 1960s because of the Suharto regime military dictatorship and moved to Saskatoon to study Biochemistry at the University of Saskatchewan. He completed his PhD there in Biochemistry in 1974, before founding numerous biotechnology companies in Canada, the United States and China. One of his greatest contributions to the diabetes field is developing the Ngo-Lenhoff assay, a technology established alongside his colleague Howard Lenhoff, widely used by many at-home testing kits to quantify blood glucose.
The Ngo-Lenhoff assay is a laboratory technique that detects molecules in the body and signals when these molecules convert into different states. The technique has been adapted for use in the OneTouch test strip, which uses an electrochemical biosensor based on oxidation of glucose. Enzymes convert glucose in the blood into gluconic acid, which can be indirectly measured and displayed on the device to produce a reading for blood glucose levels.
Ngo and his colleague never patented their revolutionary work because they recognized the importance of removing barriers for access to improve patient care. Their work is an essential component in various OneTouch home monitor systems for patients across the globe. For his ground-breaking work, Ngo has won numerous awards and achievements including the Society of Chemical Industry Merit Award and being named a fellow of the American Institute of Chemistry, the National Academy of Clinical Biochemistry and the Royal Australian Chemical Institute.
Beyond research, Ngo is an avid writer who has penned poetry, news articles and a memoir titled Chinese-Indonesian: An Odyssey through Racism, Ethnicity and Science. He has also established the That Ngo Fund at the University of Saskatchewan to give students an opportunity to study abroad. Dr. Ngo has carved an illustrious career as a biochemist, researcher, innovator, writer and community icon at the University of Saskatchewan. He has also made an impact in allowing people living with diabetes to be able to monitor and manage their condition in the comfort of their own homes.
— Written by Rebecca Dang