Non-invasive Wireless Blood Glucose Monitoring

The latest Singapore National Population Health Survey has reported that the prevalence of diabetes among adults residing in Singapore was 9.5% from 2019 to 2020. Furthermore, nearly a quarter (23.2%) of the diabetics patients are newly diagnosed, and 49.4% of adults with diabetes were previously undiagnosed. Even among patients identified as diabetic, 26% exhibit poor glucose control, which is detrimental to their health. Just as important are the individuals within the population who are suffering from prediabetes. Prediabetes is a reversible condition where individuals suffer from elevated glucose levels but are not considered high enough to be classified as diabetic. 14% of Singaporeans were diagnosed with prediabetes in 2017. Without changes in their lifestyle, a third of these prediabetic individuals are likely to develop Type II diabetes within eight years.

The technology owner offers a low-cost, non-invasive Artificial Intelligence (AI) empowered solution that can detect elevated blood glucose and predict the risk of developing prediabetes and diabetes. This innovative solution allows users to monitor their blood glucose levels regularly and identify any adverse trends and patterns so that the at-risk user can adopt early intervention and lifestyle changes to prevent or delay the onset of diabetes.

The technology is completing a clinical trial, and the technology owner is looking for more opportunities for licensing the technology to senior care/home care providers, telehealth platform providers, health wearables companies, etc.

The technology is an end-to-end managed AI platform that leverages Photoplethysmography (PPG) enabled wearable sensors to monitor various heart rate variability (HRV) features associated with blood glucose fluctuation. The solution comprises the following features :

• Optimised and validated AI algorithm

• Mobile Demo App 
  • Including UI/UX design guideline 
  • User-friendly visualisations

• SaaS 
  • Scalability 
  • Security 
  • API Integration

The technology has a great potential to address one of the most persistent and emerging global health challenges by providing an alternative, cost-effective, non-invasive approach to predicting an individual's diabetes risk. 

• The technology provides an opportunity to identify undiagnosed diabetes individuals from the population health perspective due to the high growth rate of the smart wearable.
• In terms of preventive health, this technology is able to monitor blood glucose changes regularly at minimal cost, which helps the high-risk user adopt a healthier lifestyle and prevent developing diabetes. 

Diabetes around the world in 2021:

-      537 million adults (20-79 years) are living with diabetes - 1 in 10. This number is predicted to rise to 643 million by 2030 and 783 million by 2045.

-      Over 3 in 4 adults with diabetes live in low- and middle-income countries.

-      Diabetes is responsible for 6.7 million deaths in 2021 - 1 every 5 seconds.

-      Diabetes caused at least USD 966 billion dollars in health expenditure – a 316% increase over the last 15 years.

-      541 million adults have Impaired Glucose Tolerance (IGT), which places them at high risk of type 2 diabetes.

The global expansion of wearable technology:

• 533.6 million units in 2021, up from 28.8 million units in 2014
• Includes earbuds, wristbands, smart watches, and others

Current blood glucose monitoring technologies either require finger pricking for blood extraction or the insertion of sensors into the skin and discomfort through wearing patches for extended periods. Instead, the technology uses external sensors and algorithms to detect and predict diabetes risk. No object needs to be inserted into the user's body or continuously worn throughout the day, resulting in minimal pain and discomfort. Additionally, the only equipment required for testing is the wearable device. No additional disposable equipment needles or test strips are needed, which makes blood glucose monitoring much more convenient and cost-effective than other "State-of-the-Art" solutions.

The Unique Value Proposition of the technology is that it offers a one-of-a-kind in the market solution in the following aspects:

• First Market-Ready non-invasive diabetes risk detection and prediction solution in Southeast Asia
• Outstanding prediction and detection performance
• Cloud-based solution
• Easy implementation for third-party devices and apps
• Cost-effective 
• Convenient to the user