Continuous glucose monitors measure glucose levels over several days, offering real-time or intermittent feedback to help optimize diabetes management. Commercially available monitors measure glucose levels in interstitial fluid using sensors that are just under the skin and do not directly measure blood glucose. Since they pierce the skin, they are considered minimally invasive. Non-invasive monitors on the other hand, if available, would detect blood glucose without drawing blood or piercing skin.
Continuous glucose monitors are currently considered the standard of care for all patients using insulin. However, these are expensive, invasive, and often locked to proprietary platforms, limiting adoption by patients and health systems alike. Low-cost and interoperable monitors could expand access, especially in regions with limited resources or reimbursement options.
The main stakeholders are individuals with type 1 diabetes, insulin-dependent type 2 diabetes, gestational diabetes, or prediabetes who benefit from real-time glucose data.
People with diabetes using insulin routinely track their glucose, either using finger-pricks or minimally invasive continuous glucose monitors, to adjust their insulin dosage. Others using medications that result in insulin release from the pancreas also may need to routinely monitor their glucose. Finger prick tests are burdensome and replenishing glucose test strips can be expensive as the duration of diabetes increases. Continuous glucose monitors provide a less invasive but more expensive alternative.
Continuous Glucose Monitoring: A minimally- to non-invasive, accurate, long-lasting, and affordable real-time continuous glucose monitoring system that provides interpretable and actionable insights for both patients and providers.
Additional Considerations:
There is a need for both non-invasive continuous glucose monitors that do not require sensor insertion, and minimally invasive continuous glucose monitors. Both types should seamlessly work with various smartphones and wearable devices.
Non-invasive monitors should be non-inferior to minimally invasive monitors, while minimizing concerns of skin irritation, burden on patients for calibration, and aesthetics.
It is important to ensure that patients and medical professionals can access and interpret the data on glucose variability from these monitors. These devices can also enable physicians and patients to minimize errors in data entry.
