Diabetes
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Glooko raises $3.5M for glucose meter iPhone app project
Glooko makes it easy for customers with diabetes to monitor their blood sugar on the go. The company's MeterSync Cable lets users share data between self-monitoring blood glucose meters and an iOS app, Glooko Logbook (free). Glooko recently raised US$3.5 million in funding, ensuring that development will continue on new versions of its products. Glooko Logbook, which debuted in November, 2011, lets patients create a logbook of readings, monitor and annotate daily blood sugar levels and finally share the lot with a doctor. The app and cable solution supports several meters, and Bayer's Breeze 2 meter was recently added to the list. We've seen other iOS solutions for diabetes patients over the years, including the iBGStar. Researchers at Northeastern University have even been testing an iPhone-readable nanosensor tattoo, but at far as we know, that's still an experimental device.
FDA drafts Mobile Medical Applications document
There are all manner of medically-based uses for iOS devices (the iPad in particular) if you are a medical professional, so it was just a question of time before patients themselves got in on the act (brace yourself, we get all bureaucratic up ahead). According to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, the FDA has drafted a document titled Guidance for Industry and Food and Drug Administration Staff - Mobile Medical Applications which is a first pass at attempting some standardization and looking at regulating the data and communication requirements of apps like this (for example, having a glucose monitor that can sync readings to your iOS device). Particularly for a condition like diabetes, which requires tracking and (sometimes frequent) monitoring, it's very handy to have all that data available quickly and easily. Having an official stance, even in draft, is a big step forward. From the JDRF: Once the information is on a smartphone, diabetes management will become more discrete while at the same time opening up a world of opportunity. You could view glucose levels, determine insulin requirements and make dosing decisions, track your treatment, and share all of this information seamlessly with the people that help with and matter most to your care. You could send alerts and alarms automatically to parents or caregivers, and receive helpful advice when needed. If this is something you're in favor of, or better yet, could actually use, now's your chance to add your voice to the encouragement. Here's the catch: You only have until October 19th to have your say. You'll find feedback on the JDRF post that you can use as an example to work from. If you or someone you know could benefit from this, take a moment and fill out the comment form. Who knows? Your comment may be the one that puts it over the edge and turns this draft into reality.
Glucose sensor skin implant glows when blood sugar spikes
Checking blood glucose levels used to mean a finger prick and a test-strip, but researchers at the University of Tokyo are offering a different approach: a glowing skin implant. After being injected with the 1 mm wide filament, it monitors your blood sugar by glowing when your level changes. Based on existing glowing glucose sensor technology, this hydrogel fiber is considered more accurate and stable than its predecessors, plus it requires no oxygen to function. So far, it's worked in mice for up to 140 days. Note to future human patients: don't eat a candy bar before you go to bed unless you want your arm looking like a nightlight.
iPhone reads blood glucose level with nanosensor tattoo (Updated)
For diabetics, checking blood glucose levels is literally a pain. Current blood glucose meters require a prick of the finger to get a small blood sample that is then put onto a small paper strip, inserted into the meter, and analyzed. The strips are a recurring cost to diabetics, and the constant finger pricks can be a route for infection. Now a research team at Northeastern University has developed a method of reading blood glucose levels with an iPhone and a nanosensor tattoo. The team's method works this way: they inject a patient with subdermal nanoparticles containing "fluorescent dye, specialized sensor molecules...and a charge-neutralizing molecule." The molecules attach to glucose, release ions, and alter the glow of the nanosensor tattoo based on the relative amount of glucose. While the initial device for reading the tattoo's glow was a big ugly box, one of the team members apparently outfitted an iPhone case with LEDs and filters to do the job. According to our sister site Engadget, the team is also looking at a way to measure blood sodium (associated with dehydration) and oxygen levels with iPhones and apps. You never thought that your iPhone would be an early-generation medical tricorder, did you? Update: Since a few commenters asked, this is an experimental device and has not (to our knowledge) been submitted to the FDA for their lengthy approval process.
Fluorescent nanosensor tattoo monitors glucose under the iPhone's glare
Unless you're a True Blood diehard, the idea of bleeding yourself intentionally shouldn't really seem all that appealing. So imagine how most diabetics feel when they're forced to prick their fingers seven times a day in the name of health. Well, soon they might not have to thanks to a nanosensor tattoo and... an iPhone? Developed by Prof. Heather Clark and her Northeastern University team, this injection of subdermal nanoparticles combines "fluorescent dye, specialized sensor molecules...and a charge-neutralizing molecule" that attach to glucose, releasing ions and altering the tat's glow in the process. The researchers had originally designed a "large boxlike" tattoo-reading device, but an apparent Apple fanboy on the team modded an iPhone case with LEDs and a filter lens to make the whole affair a bit more stylish. Next up for the team is, you guessed it, an app for that -- although this one'll focus on sodium.
Sanofi-Aventis debuts iBGStar blood glucose meter for iPhone
It's not the first to announce a blood glucose meter that connects to an iPhone, but Sanofi-Aventis has just rolled out what's surely the most streamlined solution to date. Unlike the LifeScan Bluetooth glucose meter shown off during Apple's iPhone OS 3.0 preview event way back in March of last year, this one connects directly to your iPhone (or iPod touch), and it can even be kept permanently attached with the aid of a custom (and fairly stylish) case. Otherwise, it functions just as you'd expect, with it able to display all the basic info on the device itself (it can also be used without the iPhone), and a ton more info on the accompanying app. No word on availability just yet -- that still hinges on FDA clearance -- but the device is "expected" to run somewhere in the neighborhood of $80.
iPhone-connected blood glucose meter now closer to reality
TUAW received a tip this morning about something that could be immensely useful to the over 17.9 million people in the U.S., as well as millions in other countries, who have diabetes. Pharmaceutical company Sanofi Aventis has announced the iBGStar Blood Glucose Meter that connects directly to the iPhone or iPod touch. While the hardware and official app that will accompany the meter is not yet released, the app is based on the free Wavesense Diabetes Manager app now in the App Store. Sanofi Aventis is currently preparing the meter for submission to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and it is unlike the Johnson & Johnson concept displayed at the iPhone 3GS event in March of 2009. That device required a cable; the Sanofi Aventis glucose meter just plugs into the Dock Connector port on the iPhone, takes readings from a blood sample, and stores the information on the iPhone for analysis. The patient can email the data to a physician if he or she needs feedback on management of their condition. The patient uses a glucose test strip with a sample drop of blood, and the strip is read by inserting it into the slot (lower right of meter pictured at the right side). The results are displayed on both a small display on the meter as well as in the iPhone app. Since diabetes is responsible for 1 out of every 10 health care dollars spent in the U.S., better management of the disease could have a huge impact on health care spending.
Implantable antenna designed using silk and gold
Silk: it's stronger than Kevlar, thinner than a human hair, it's biocompatible (it doesn't trigger human immune system response), and it's produced by insects (although some new-fangled metabolically engineered bacteria seem to be up to the task). Researchers at Tufts University have created a silk and gold biosensor that can be implanted in the body to keep tabs on proteins and chemicals. One possible use would be to keep track of diabetic's glucose levels, notifying the patient when things go wonky. At the present time, they've only tested the antenna itself -- it was found to resonate at specific frequencies, even when implanted in several layers of muscle tissue (from a pig, mind you). For their next trick, the team will outfit the device with proteins or other molecules to monitor in-vivo chemical reactions.
Implantable blood sugar sensor could eliminate daily finger pricks
Science has been figuring out ways to sidestep those dreaded finger pricks for years now, but it's not often that we hear of such a permanent solution as this. A crew of researchers from The University of Tokyo and BEANS Research Institute are in the process of developing a newfangled blood sugar sensor that "reacts to glucose and lights up inside the body." 'Course, injecting dyes into humans in order to receive interpretable signals ain't exactly new, but hydrogel is what makes this approach unique. As the story goes, this jelly-esque material can be implanted within the body, enabling blood sugar levels to be monitored and measured externally with no pain or irritation whatsoever. In theory, a monitoring system could trigger an alert as soon as the internal levels dipped or rose beyond a predetermined extreme, giving those with diabetes a maximum amount of time to get things back in balance. There's nary a mention of when this goo will be green-lit by the FDA, but there's definitely a video explaining everything just past the break.
Bayer Didget blood glucose monitoring system does double-duty as a DS game
Until we reach the time when tattoos make checking blood glucose levels cool, we're going to need another way to keep kids with diabetes healthy. And hey, kids love videogames, right? Bayer's Didget is based on the company's Contour glucose meter, but instead of connecting by USB it's shaped like a Game Boy cartridge, enabling it to slot into a Nintendo DS or DS Lite. When kids upload their scores to a custom game (the less than thrilling sounding Knock 'Em Downs: World Fair) they'll unlock new characters and items, but there's one fatal flaw in this plan: the system necessarily isn't compatible with the DSi (or its XL brother) and we're guessing the big cartridge slot isn't due for a comeback in the 3DS. In other words, this meter is on a fast-track to obsolescence.
Bayer's 'Didget' turns diabetes testing into a game
We can only imagine how difficult and frustrating it must be for a young person diagnosed with diabetes to get into the regular routine of testing their blood glucose level. In an attempt to make this process easier, and to "help build good monitoring habits," Bayer has created the Didget meter, a glucose-measuring device which can connect to an accompanying Nintendo DS game, unlocking in-game rewards for players who test regularly. You can check out a number of demos for the device and the game, titled Knock 'Em Downs: World's Fair, on Bayer's site. It's currently only available in the U.K. and Ireland for £29.99, and it only works on the original DS and the DS Lite, thanks to the DSi's tragically absent Game Boy Advance cartridge slot.
Researchers receive grant to develop color-changing contacts for diabetics
Contact lenses that act as a glucose monitoring system for diabetics aren't exactly a new idea, but it looks like a group of researchers from the University of Western Ontario might be a bit closer to making them a reality, as they've now received a $200,000+ grant from the Canada Foundation for Innovation to further develop the technology. The secret to their contacts are some "extremely small" nanoparticles that are embedded in the hydrogel lenses which, like some similar systems (such as those pictured at right), react to the glucose molecules in tears and cause a chemical reaction that changes the color of the lenses -- thereby informing the wearer when their blood sugar is too low or too high. What's more, the reseachers say the same basic idea could also have a wide range of other applications beyond glucose monitoring -- for instance, being used in food packaging to indicate if the food is spoiled or contaminated. [Thanks, Yuka]
Bayer introduces Contour USB glucose meter
We may not yet have nanosensors or high-tech contact lenses to monitor glucose levels, but there are still plenty of gadgets out there to help diabetics, and Bayer has now introduced another first with its new Contour USB glucose meter. While it doesn't go quite so far as to provide continuous, wireless monitoring like some similar concepts we've seen, it will accept test strips like any other glucose meter, and do plenty of things those others can't -- like store up to 2,000 readings on the stick itself, display the results right on the stick's color display, and sync up with your Mac or PC for more detailed logs and additional information. No firm word on an actual release date just yet, but Bayer says it will be available in the U.S. "soon."[Via Everything USB]
Help cure diabetes, win great Mac software
Developer Jim Whimpey is riding a bike to cure diabetes, and he's asking for your help (and promising a chance at some great Mac software). For every $10 you donate to his upcoming ride in southern Australia, he'll throw your name in a raffle to win one of two big Mac software bundles, both worth almost $190 each and both including Things, MarsEdit, Tweetie, and Wii Transfer. Any one of those apps is worth the donation, not to mention that your money will go to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, one of the biggest organizations around committed to fighting type 1 diabetes.You get a raffle entry for every $10 you donate, so put in $20 and you'll get two entries, and so on. He's asking for all the donations by September 14th, so you've got about two weeks to get over there and put some money in. Great cause and great way to pick up some sweet new apps for your brand new Snow Leopard install to run.
Tattoo-like nanosensor could monitor glucose levels, enhance your cool factor
Make no mistake, there are quite a few sophisticated ways to monitor one's glucose levels, but we're pretty certain we've never seen an approach as simple and as bodacious as this. Massachusetts-based Draper Laboratories has stumbled upon a new embeddable nanosensor that could, at least in theory, eliminate those painful pricks endured today by so many diabetics. The so-called "injectable nanotech ink" could be inserted under the skin much like a tattoo, though Draper's Heather Clark notes that it "doesn't have to be a large, over-the-shoulder kind of tattoo." In fact, it can be as small as a few millimeters in size, though if it were us, we'd use it as the perfect excuse in order to plaster our backs with Ice Climbers. Testing of the new approach is expected to begin very soon, though that usually means it won't be ready for humans until at least a few years later. Ah well, plenty of time to dream up the perfect design, right?[Via medGadget]
Artificial pancreas developed, twice as cool as your boring real one
We've never really found much use for our pancreas. It doesn't comes up in conversation, and tends to be a bit of a non-entity when it comes to our social life. Still, some people have a bit more trouble with their pancreai, and for those folks the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation is working on an artificial pancreas to do the job. It's based around existing technology for monitoring and moderating blood sugar levels, but "closes the loop," scratching out human error by feeding monitoring data, computer predictions and insulin injections into one system that doesn't require human intervention. To start out, the foundation plans on creating a product aimed at regulating blood-sugar overnight, and then from there move on to a 'round the clock device.[Via Protein Feed]
Freedom Meditech promises glucose-monitoring eye scanner
There's certainly no shortage of efforts out there to make glucose monitoring a bit easier for diabetics, but Freedom Meditech is now claiming to have developed one of the least invasive to date and, what's more, it says it's actually gearing up to start some clinical trials. That latter bit is apparently possible thanks to a newly formed partnership with Batelle, which is helping to raise the necessary capital, while the former bit got a boost from an arrangement with the University of Toledo, whose technology it is licensing. The key bit, it seems, is that Freedom Meditech's method involves scanning only the front portion of the eye (or, more specifically, the Aqueous humor where the glucose resides) instead of shining a light on the retina, which some similar methods use. That apparently not only delivers results faster, but reduces the risk of any potential long-term safety hazards from repeated laser exposure, which would also make it better suited as a tool for early screening of diabetes.
Medtronic Diabetes concept car monitors glucose levels in-dash
Operating a vehicle during a diabetic blood sugar crash can be a dangerous proposition for both driver and others on the road. That's why Medtronic Diabetes developed the M-POWERED concept car that allows a person to constantly monitor glucose levels via both audio and visual cues. The Lincoln sedan was unveiled at this year's American Diabetes Association annual meeting in San Francisco. No word on what happens during a glucose drop, but we imagine some sort of alarm and then, perhaps, shutdown occurs.
Philips invents breath test for diabetics
As anyone who has a regular date with a needle knows, poking oneself on the daily can be a real pain -- in the ass or otherwise. Well there appears to be good news on the horizon for at least some of us self-stabbers: Philips is attempting to patent a method for diabetic glucose detection that eschews the finger prick for a simple breath test. Based on recent research linking blood glucose levels to the concentration of carbon dioxide in exhaled breath, Philips claims to have built a non-invasive device significantly more accurate than past attempts based on sugar's spectroscopic signature. No word yet on FDA approval, commercial release, or anything of that sort, but with diabetes continuing to plague more and more individuals, let's hope this product gets put on the fast track.[Via New Scientist]
GlucoBoy blood-sugar testing game finally ships
We first noticed the GlucoBoy blood-sugar testing game for the Game Boy Advance way back in 2004, but it's taken three years for inventor Paul Wessel to get the necessary approval from Nintendo to start manufacturing the game. Targeted at kids with juvenile diabetes, the device rewards timely testing and target blood sugar levels by doling out points that can be used to unlock 2 full length games and 3 additional mini-arcade games, and kids can share point totals and high scores on a related website called GRIP. GlucoBoy is now available in Australia, but the company hopes to have wider availability soon.[Via Joystiq]
