New images have been released of the world’s first wearable, non-invasive, real-time continuous blood glucose sensor by Afon Technology, a company based in Wales set up in 2015. The device is expected to have a “life-changing” impact on the global diabetes community.
With more than 463 million people worldwide believed to have diabetes, the Afon Technology blood glucose sensor is designed to be compatible with your chosen smartwatch, phone or tablet.
Research from the South Asian Health Foundation has found out that South Asian people who live in the UK are up to six times more likely to have diabetes than the white population. The foundation found that diabetes prevalence in England is predicted to increase by 47% by 2025.
Current estimations say that 400,000 people of South Asian heritage live with the condition in Britain, which makes up one-fifth of the total diabetic population. This new device could help with making the lives of people with diabetes more easy and simple, reducing risk of diabetes-related complications.
Afon Technology’s CEO Sabih Chaudhry said: “Our task force of experts are world-class and together we are delighted to share plans for this life-changing device for people with diabetes. Without using needles the pain-free Afon device will simply sit on the inside of your wrist and communicate vital information via Bluetooth to your chosen smart device.
“Diabetes can be incredibly limiting to someone’s life, but we believe we’ve created a device which will provide the wonderful feeling of freedom all wrapped up in a watch on the wrist.”
The sensor sits on the inside of your wrist and uses Bluetooth technology to send real-time information to a companion app that will show blood glucose trends and alert you to high/low glucose levels as well as personal health trends.
Tipped to completely radicalise the lives of those who have diabetes, the Afon device will go one step further than previous devices. it will measure blood glucose levels without the need to penetrate the skin at all, making it easier to manage the condition and therefore reducing the risk of diabetes-related complications such as heart attack, stroke, blindness, kidney failure and limb amputations.
Professor de Vries, Medical Director at Profil, the diabetes research organisation in Germany, who specialises in internal medicine and endocrinology and is a principal investigator at the University of Amsterdam’s Faculty of Medicine (AMC-UvA), said: “We evaluated the Afon device under both hyper-and hypoglycaemic conditions during the clinical trials and we were surprised and excited by the possibilities of this technology.”
With no replaceable parts, it will be cheaper than other current diabetes technologies available on the market which rely on replacement patches and needles.
Big technology companies such as Apple, Samsung and Google are rumoured to have been trying to develop non-invasive blood glucose monitoring, but so far none have been successful. Afon Technology hopes to win the race to this important milestone.
It is hoped the device, which is set to undergo another round of clinical trials, will be available to purchase from the end of next year.
According to research £5.5bn of NHS hospitals’ budget is spent on diabetes, and poor diabetes control was responsible for £3bn in potentially avoidable hospital treatment in England in the year 2017-2018.
