BACKGROUND
There is a significant and enduring demand for continuous and convenient monitoring of glucose in a substantial proportion of population. National diabetes statistics report for 2020 shows that 34.2 million (~10%) American have diabetes, and an estimated 26.8 million need regular monitoring of glucose level. Approximately 463 million adults are living with diabetes worldwide. Frequent glucose monitoring is required when treating or mitigating diabetic complications such as retinopathy, nephropathy and neuropathy. Although the direct enzymic measurement of serum glucose assures accurate information, the invasive needle-pricking step to collect blood is difficult to apply frequently for glucose monitoring during sleep and exercise & often results in patients (particularly young patients) being reluctant to adopt the process to meet the needs of frequent monitoring. Although non-invasive approaches have been more recently developed for blood glucose monitoring, they require surface contact with a patient.
SUMMARY OF TECHNOLOGY
OSU researchers have developed and tested a diffuse reflectance system and method for non-contact glucose sensing at ~1.1 meters distance. The method allows to determine a glucose level in a sample by non-contact measurements of light reflected from the sample. The researchers evaluated a prototype of the non-contact system where the sample is illuminated with a narrow-collimated beam and the diffuse reflectance is collected over the entirety of the surface area rendered by the collection optics and centered on the point-of-illumination. The prototype system and method were tested in solid tissue and aqueous phantoms by altering the size of the collection geometry and measuring differential spectral absorption for light wavelengths between about 1100 nm and 2000 nm. The new system and method also incorporate analytical models capable of differentiating phantom samples with minor differences in glucose concentration.
POTENTIAL AREAS OF APPLICATION AND MAIN ADVANTAGES
COMMERCIAL OPPORTUNITY
Due to the change in lifestyle (sedentary) and eating habits (focused on heavy caloric fast food) the number of diabetic patients is increasing rapidly, which results in higher demand for blood glucose monitoring devices. Blood glucose monitoring devices market size is valued at ~12 billion in 2020 and is expected to expand at a compound annual growth rate of ~8%. Increasing awareness of the need to monitor blood glucose levels regularly can further increase the market potential. We are looking for industry partners to help us develop and commercialize this patent pending technology.
STATE OF DEVELOPMENT