Diabetic complications make diabetes the sixth leading cause of death by disease in the United States. The Diabetes Control and Complications Trial demonstrated that measuring blood glucose at least 4 times a day and keeping blood glucose levels near normal can significantly reduce the risk of developing complications. However, only one third of diabetics test their blood glucose regularly, and on average less than once per day, because of the pain, inconvenience and high cost of testing with available finger-stick monitoring system. A portable, convenient, and inexpensive non-invasive glucose monitor would promote frequent monitoring, lowering the incidence of complications. Preliminary studies developed a visual test that tracks blood glucose concentration in diabetics and non-diabetics with 20% precision visual test that tracks blood glucose concentration in diabetics and non-diabetics with 20% precision (P<0.05) and with a measurement time of 12 minutes. This research intends to reduce measurement time to a commercially acceptable 3 minutes by presenting the visual stimulus more efficiently and by improving the measurement algorithm for speed and accuracy. If this research is successful, in Phase II the technique will be further tested and incorporated into a commercial non-invasive monitor that will be easy to use and will encourage diabetics to monitor frequently and thus avoid the complications associated with poor glycemic control.
15.7 million diabetics in the U.S. and more worldwide can benefit from a device that can measure blood glucose non-invasively blood glucose monitor that will be small, convenient, and inexpensive to manufacture. A painless non-invasive monitor would promote frequent monitoring and help lower the incidence of complications in diabetics.
