Summary
A new blood glucose-testing device from Glucon Inc. could mean the end of skin-pricking and drawing blood to measure glucose levels in diabetics. The device, which is worn on the wrist like a watch, uses tiny lasers that resonate with blood glucose and give 24-hour measurements. Glucon's device has been shown to be as accurate as skin pricking. The device is in the process of clinical trials and approval by the FDA.
Original source:
http://www.technologyreview.com/articles/05/06/wo/wo_060205jaffe.asp
Details
In the end, though, it comes down to this: to stay well, a person with Diabetes A has to draw blood four times a day.
"If anyone can come up with a cost-effective, safe, non-invasive way to measure glucose, I can't imagine the world not beating a path to their door."
Based on photo-acoustics research first done at Tel Aviv University in Israel, their device uses lasers, ultrasound, and advanced software algorithms to get a reading that is as efficient and accurate as pin-prick tests.
At the heart of the Glucon device is a laser tuned to a frequency that resonates with blood glucose.
When the laser comes into contact with blood glucose, it creates sound waves emanating from the molecule.
Then a miniaturized ultrasound sensor detects those sound waves and a computer chip translates the raw signals into usable data.
While other non-invasive technologies have been able to read glucose levels to a rough level, Glucon's early tests show that it reaches the same efficiency levels as blood-strip tests.
Goldberger points out that since that paper was published, his researchers have made big strides in improving the device's efficacy even further, although he won't release specific numbers.
Because of the non-invasive nature of the technology, though, Glucon's regulatory process is much less arduous than for implantable or skin-puncture medical devices.
If Glucon succeeds in getting FDA approval, its device could revolutionize diabetes management for both the individual patient and the health-care industry.
Yet more than half of those three million make mistakes on a regular basis in
glucose monitoring or insulin administration, errors that can lead to insulin shock and a diabetic coma.
Health insurance companies would be willing to pay a premium for such a device if it keeps down the costs of emergency-room visits and long-term health crises, such as diabetic blindness, says the ADA's Petersen.
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Saturday, June 11, 2005
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