Glucose monitoring device developer Glucon today announced it was granted a US patent for the use of photoacoustic waves originating in the blood vessel to calculate the concentration of glucose in the blood vessel.
The patent was granted to Glucon’s founders, company president Ron Nagar and VP research and development Dr. Benny Pesach.
“This patent supports Glucon proof of concept and upholds the company’s strong position as a leader in the development of blood glucose monitoring devices. It also serves as incentive to continuing our pursuit to developing systems that will help to provide better health care to the diabetic community,” said Nagar.
Glucon’s flagship device, the Glucose Monitoring Watch, will display a continuous reading of the patient’s real time blood glucose level, enabling the patient to take the necessary measures to treat their condition. It will do so by marrying two proven scientific tools - photonics and acoustics. Ultrasound imaging is employed to identify a blood vessel and optical spectroscopy is used to quantify the glucose concentration within the blood vessel.
"Glucon has broad protection around the application of photoacoustic techniques for the measurement of physiological variables. Our prototype is currently undergoing extensive clinical testing, which thus far has produced promising results. We are also in the midst of upgrading the current prototype to be more mobile, flexible, stylish and comfortable,” said Nager.
Glucon was founded in 2000 with seed financing provided by InnoMed Ventures, the life science fund of Jerusalem Global Ventures. Additional investors include Giza Venture Capital, Infinity Venture Capital Fund, Ascend Technology Ventures, Reslo Life Science and Suzuken.
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes.co.il - on Tuesday, February 15, 2005