The main focus of the patent
The invention is a glucose measurement system that can continuously measure and monitor the blood sugar levels.
Limited technical details
The technology involves development of a polymer film that is compatible with the body does not cause any kind of harmful reaction and is loaded with an enzyme that changes color in response to a change in the concentration of glucose in the blood. This film can now act as a sensor and is fixed to a tiny implant under the skin and connected to a watch-like reader on the wrist that can provide a continuous display of the blood sugar levels. The reader can be either used by the patients to monitor their blood glucose or be connected to an insulin pump for automatic administration of the hormone when the sugar rises beyond a point. The invention specifically uses polyaniline nanofibers as optical biosensors to detect the presence and concentration of target analytes and can be extended beyond detection of just glucose.
Implications/applications and sectors that are addressed by patent/technology.
In the US the prevalence of diabetes is close to 24 million (about 8 percent of the population) with an economic estimated to be about 174 billion dollars. In addition to those with the disease, there are a much larger number of people who are classified as pre-diabetic and need careful monitoring. Such statistics push efforts to increase diagnosis of the undiagnosed diabetic population and achieve better blood sugar control in those with the disease, thereby expanding the market for glucose monitors which is currently assessed to be around $4-5 billion in the US and $8.8 billion worldwide.
The advantages of a continuous and accurate real-time glucose monitor are that it provides feedback for the user and ensures proper user care during critical hyper- or hypoglycemic events. The continuous monitoring ensures user compliance and eliminates repeated finger pricks each day. The optical sensor in a watch-like device worn over film eliminates the need for conductive wires found with conventional electrical sensors.
History of the Inventors
Arthur Epstein is a professor of Physics and Chemistry at the Ohio State University and founding director of the university’s Center for Materials Research. He is the holder of more than 30 patents or patents pending but has no prior experience of starting a company.
Louis Nemzer is a graduate student in Epstein’s group and works on developing polyaniline nanofibers as optical biosensors that can detect the presence and concentration of target analytes.
Similar Patents
US Patent 6475750 – Glucose biosensor
US Patent Application 20050137471 – Continuous glucose monitoring device
