Apple, the company behind the globally successful iPhone mobile and other devices, has reached a new milestone in its efforts to create a smartwatch that can track glucose levels with non-invasive technology.
The plan, initially part of a "fake" startup, has made significant progress in producing a glucose test for diabetics through the Apple Watch's potential new sensor. This type of technology has been in development since 2010. At the time, then-Apple CEO and founder Steve Jobs bought out RareLight, a small startup.
Apple's Planned Glucose Sensor
While the total production of such technology will still need years, the approval of such a case would allow health experts to measure diabetic people's glucose levels. This process could also be used as a preventive measure to alert pre-diabetic people.
The technology company uses a chip technology called silicon photonics that is combined with absorption spectroscopy, which measures reflected light to determine a person's blood sugar levels.
The Apple Watch has, in recent times, become increasingly more of a tool that people use to monitor their health. It has features such as a heart rate monitor, fitness tracker, and body temperature sensors, as per Gizmodo.
However, the latest test data for the company's new sensor have yet to be peer-reviewed and are only in the proof-of-concept stage. Furthermore, sources said that the technology is, at this point, too big and needs to become smaller to be effectively used on wearable devices for people.
The tech company did not immediately respond to questions for comments regarding the technology. The situation comes as the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shows data that about one in 10 Americans have diabetes.
So far, people diagnosed with diabetes can manage their condition by pricking their fingers to test their glucose levels. They can also attach patches that Dexcom or Abbott Laboratories have developed onto their skin.
Proof-of-Concept Stage
Apple has tasked hundreds of its engineers in its Exploratory Design Group (XDG) to work on the project. According to MacRumors, the tech company has reportedly spent hundreds of millions of dollars in the development of non-invasive glucose monitoring.
The project comes as health experts have found risks associated with controlling blood sugar in the ICU. An analysis published in Diabetes Care noted that efforts to read patients with diabetes of their glucose levels were doing more harm than good.
The study's lead author, Dr. Michael Schwartz, who is also a UW Medicine endocrinologist, said that he pursued the study of the phenomenon after discussing it with his colleague, Dr. Irl Hirsch. The latter had also witnessed issues emerging from his patients in the ICU.
The team found that efforts to reduce blood glucose levels in patients with diabetes to normal levels could harm them by triggering a dangerous reaction. The study noted that relative hypoglycemia, a decrease in glucose levels of at least 30% below pre-hospital admission levels, has become a significant concern, said UW Medicine.
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