Ian Shanks

Ian Alexander Shanks OBE FRS FRSE FREng FRSA (born 22 June 1948) is a Scottish scientist who invented the technology behind the digital blood glucose meter in 1982, working on his own time while employed at Unilever. In the 1970s Shanks had done significant research on liquid crystal displays (LCDs), and later optoelectronics.

Shanks attended Dumbarton Academy and then gained a BSc from the University of Glasgow. He obtained a PhD.

Glucose meter

In May 1982 Shanks moved to Unilever UK Central Resources Ltd (CRL) north of Bedford. There, whilst working in process control, he invented the technology that led to the digital blood glucose meter, under European Patent (UK) 0 170 375 filed in June 1985 and granted in May 1990 (U.S. Patent 5,141,868A). The technology involves a capillary cell incorporating electrodes coated with glucose oxidase, in meters used by millions of diabetics, thereby revolutionising blood glucose testing. Most of the companies making the meters obtained licences from Unilever medical diagnostics subsidiary Unipath, until it was sold to Inverness Medical Inventions in 2001.

In 1984 Shanks became the youngest person, at 35, to receive an FRS, based on his LCD development work. He also won the Clifford Paterson Medal and Prize in 1994.

Shanks became Head of Physical and Engineering Sciences at CRL before leaving in October 1986.

Shanks sued Unilever in 2006 for employee-inventor patent compensation under section 40 of the 1977 Patents Act — initially unsuccessfully. However, in a landmark decision on 23 October 2019, the Supreme Court awarded him £2 million on the basis that Unilever had received an “outstanding benefit” from the glucose testing patents.

Shanks founded the Optoelectronics College.

He was awarded the OBE in the 2012 Birthday Honours. He lives in Broughty Ferry.