Diabetes diagnosis - now a matter of sweat and tears?
![](/46/pdcnewsitem/08/17/02/Diabetes-diagnosis-now-a-matter-of-sweat-and-tears.jpg)
No need to draw blood; researchers develop smart technology to diagnose diabetes and treat diabetic retinopathy.
A research team from POSTECH has developed technology that allows diagnosis of diabetes and treatment of diabetic retinopathy just by wearing ‘Smart Light-emitting diode (LED) Contact Lens.’
Professor Sei Kwang Hahn and his research team have invented a smart photonic contact lens and a wearable medical device which can diagnose diabetes and treat diabetic retinopathy. Their new research results on photonic diagnosis and photonic therapy of diabetes are published on-line in Nature Reviews Materials in collaboration with a research group led by Zhenan Bao from Department of Chemical Engineering at Stanford University and David Myung from Stanford Medicine Ophthalmology.
The smart contact lens with integrated micro-LED and photodetector can measure glucose concentration in the conjunctival blood vessels by analysing the NIR light which, in turn, helps with diabetic diagnosis.
The team applied its new smart LED contact lenses to rabbits with diabetic retinopathy disease and irradiated light repeatedly for a month. This resulted in a significant reduction of angiogenesis (production of new blood vessels) in the retina and verified clinical feasibility of the smart LED contact lens for the diabetic retinopathy therapy.
This newly developed device will allow diabetic patients to monitor their blood-sugar level in real-time; it also enables medical treatment for retinopathy which is caused by diabetic complications.
Meanwhile, Professor Hahn and his research team have also developed a smart contact lens that can diagnose diabetes by analysing glucose concentration in tears and deliver drugs to treat diabetic retinopathy. Preliminary clinical tests for the developers are expected to be done in the first half of this year.
On the basis of these results, they have also developed a smart wearable medical device that can analyse glucose concentration in sweat and they verified, which could also be clinically feasible for diabetic diagnosis. Furthermore, in conjunction with PHI Biomed, they developed a blue-tooth system that can send data wirelessly allowing patients to check their diabetic diagnosis results on their mobile phones.
Professor Hahn commented: “We developed a smart LED contact lens that can diagnose diabetes and treat diabetic retinopathy with light for the first time in the world. We are planning to commercialize these smart contact lenses and smart wearable medical devices in collaboration with Stanford Medicine.”
Related News
-
News Ophthalmologic drug product Eylea faces biosimilar threats after FDA approvals
Regeneron Pharmaceutical’s blockbuster ophthalmology drug Eylea is facing biosimilar competition as the US FDA approves Biocon’s Yesafili and Samsung Bioepis/Biogen’s Opuviz. -
News ONO Pharmaceutical expands oncology portfolio with acquisition of Deciphera
ONO Pharmaceutical, out of Japan, is in the process of acquiring cancer-therapy maker Deciphera Pharmaceuticals for US$2.4 billion. -
News First offers for pharma from Medicare drug price negotiations
Ten high-cost drugs from various pharma manufacturers are in pricing negotiations in a first-ever for the US Medicare program. President Biden’s administration stated they have responded to the first round of offers. -
News Eli Lilly’s Zepbound makes leaps and bounds in weight-loss drug market
In the last week, Eli Lilly has announced their partnership with Amazon.com’s pharmacy unit to deliver prescriptions of Zepbound. Zepbound has also surpassed Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy for the number of prescriptions for the week of March 8.&nbs... -
News Chasing new frontiers at LEAP – The National Biotechnology Strategy Keynote
On the third day of LEAP (4–7 March 2024, Riyadh Exhibition and Convention Centre, Malham, Saudi Arabia) the CPHI Middle East team hosted the Future Pharma Forum, to set the scene for an exciting new event for the pharma community, coming to Riya... -
News Pfizer maps out plans for developing new oncology therapeutics by 2030
Pfizer dilvulges plans to investors around growing their cancer portfolio, and the drugs they will be focusing on developing after their aquisition of Seagen in 2023. -
News Generics threat to Merck’s Bridion as Hikma seeks pre-patent expiry approval
Merck has disclosed they received notice from Hikma Pharmaceuticals for seeking a pre-patent expiry US FDA approval for Hikma’s generic version of Merck’s Bridion. -
News Bernie Sanders vs Big Pharma - the latest on drug price negotiations
In a hearing in front of the US Senate, three of the biggest pharmaceutical companies in America are challenged over exorbitant prescription drug prices, with Sanders claiming their actions are limiting the population's access to affordable healthc...
Position your company at the heart of the global Pharma industry with a CPHI Online membership
-
Your products and solutions visible to thousands of visitors within the largest Pharma marketplace
-
Generate high-quality, engaged leads for your business, all year round
-
Promote your business as the industry’s thought-leader by hosting your reports, brochures and videos within your profile
-
Your company’s profile boosted at all participating CPHI events
-
An easy-to-use platform with a detailed dashboard showing your leads and performance