Over 200 million people suffer from diabetes worldwide, with as much as 20 million diabetes in the United States alone. Years of research have established a strong link between obesity and diabetes (especially Type 2 diabetes). Diabetes occurs when the body is unable to use insulin, or when insulin is insufficiently produced by the pancreas. Insulin is an essential hormone, without which the body cannot process glucose, a necessary fuel for all tissues. Therefore, if left untreated vital organs will be severely affected by the disease.
There is no known cure for diabetes and patients rely on constant monitoring to maintain acceptable blood glucose levels. Depending on the type and severity of each case, therapy may include diet, exercise and other lifestyle changes, medication, and/or insulin injections. Insulin-dependent diabetics may need to inject themselves several times daily, with blood glucose testing before and/or after each meal. So far, most tests included actual blood tests, usually performed by pricking a finger and testing the blood using a portable device. OrSense’s new technology allows for a non-invasive glucose-level blood testing. According to the company the new method is simple and accurate and may help people suffering from diabetes to live their lives in a slightly more comfortable manner without constantly worrying about being pricked with a needle.
OrSense’s technology, which is known as Occlusion Spectroscopy, uses a non-invasive optical measurement platform combined with a ring-shaped cuff. The pressure applied by the cuff temporarily occludes the blood flow in the finger, creating new blood dynamics which generate a strong optical signal, yielding a high blood specific signal-to-noise ratio. Analysis of the signal provides the information necessary to measure blood glucose levels, hemoglobin and several other measurements.
