Having to draw blood from a finger to test for glucose levels is the primary reason many diabetics fail to keep a close eye on their sugar. Fear of pain and having to perform the procedure on their own keeps many guesstimating their blood glucose, a risky decision that can lead to dangerous conditions such as hypoglycemia. NovioSense, a company out of Nijmegen, Holland, has developed and just received a European patent for a tiny device that is placed in the eye to continuously measure sugar levels in tears.
The NovioSense device is initially expected to be worn continuously for two week stretches, thanks to a soft coating around the unit that absorbs and swells from tears, helping to keep it comfortably next to the eye.
The device has yet to receive regulatory approvals, but the new patent should help move the device forward.
From the announcement:
The patent with publication number EP2699690B1 is for a medical device making use of a flexible wireless sensor system based on an electrochemical cell utilizing a hollow coil electrode.
“The patent claims our proprietary technology platform that allows wireless measurement of biomarker levels utilizing an electro active redox enzyme system combined with near field communications found in many smart phones” said Dr. Christopher Wilson CEO, NovioSense BV. “This first patent award is a significant value creation step for NovioSense and is currently being utilized in our tear glucose sensor.” he said.
Info page: NovioSense device…
Press release: First Patent for NovioSense Non-Invasive Tear Glucose Sensor Issued in Europe…