Most diabetes patients determine their blood glucose level with an outdated, decades-old procedure: Prick a finger, put a drop of blood on a test strip, and place the test strip in a glucometer that shows the blood sugar level. [1]

A German start-up, DiaMonTech, has developed a medical device that measures your blood glucose without finger pricking, a drop of blood, or using a test strip - one of the major bugbears of being diabetic. This could go a long way toward helping 3.5 million South Africans, about 6% of the population, who suffer from diabetes. [2]

Figure 1. DiaMonTech - Noninvasive Glucose Monitoring

Figure 1 shows the technology is based on spectroscopy, which looks at how light interacts with matter. The company expanded on these methods to be able to detect glucose in the human body, a concept they are calling “photothermal detection”.

The glucose levels are measured by mid-infrared radiation, heat of 1/1000 of a degree Celsius (ºC), from a quantum cascade light (QCL) source. All users need to do is place their fingertip on the optic lens and keep it steady for 5 to 15 seconds. [2]

Out of Germany, DiaMonTech has developed a system that uses molecular spectroscopy — the study of the absorption of light by molecules — to detect glucose molecules through the skin. They’re currently working on three versions:

• a phone-like “D-Pocket” handheld receiver that you press your finger on to get a glucose reading, which is expected in 2022–2023
• a small “D-sensor” embedded into watches or fitness bands, which is anticipated for 2024
• a more stationary, shoebox-sized device that would sit on a table and could be used in clinical settings, which is ready for use now

“Finger pricking is messy and inconvenient, and that’s why so many diabetics are not measuring enough to successfully manage their blood sugar,” DiaMonTech CEO Thorsten Lubinski told DiabetesMine. Noninvasive measurements lower this hurdle, as measuring your blood sugar is as easy as using the fingerprint sensor on your mobile phone.

Lubinski recognizes that others before have failed to develop noninvasive D-tech, but emphasizes that his company’s technology is more accurate and focuses specifically on the glucose molecule itself (rather than other things). [3]

References:

1. Source: https://www.diamontech.de/home#product
2. https://www.businessinsider.co.za/this-company-has-developed-a-non-invasive-glucose-monitoring-watch-2018-12
3. https://www.healthline.com/diabetesmine/non-invasive-diabetes-technology#whos-developing-it

Cite this article:

Thanusri swetha J (2022), DiaMonTech - Noninvasive Glucose Monitoring, pp. 87