Apple Inc. is working on a moonshot-style project that dates back to Steve Jobs’ time: noninvasive and continuous blood glucose monitoring.
The purpose of this covert project, called E5, is to determine how much glucose is in someone’s body without having to prick their skin for blood. According to those familiar with the endeavour, the business now believes it can ultimately bring glucose monitoring to market after passing critical milestones lately.
One of the most striking features of the newly unveiled Apple Watch was its uniqueness: a distinct UI, novel input techniques, and a whole new environment for inventive third-party apps.
I instantly thought of my diabetic patients, who now carry up to four different electronic devices in their pockets to handle all of their technology: a smartphone, a blood glucose meter, an insulin pump controller, and a continuous glucose monitor receiver.
If completed, such a breakthrough would be a godsend to diabetics and help Apple solidify its position as a health-care superpower. The eventual objective of incorporating the monitoring system inside the Apple Watch would also make the gadget a must-have item for millions of diabetics worldwide.
There is still much work to be done, but the move has the potential to upend a multibillion-dollar industry. Diabetes affects around one in every ten Americans, and blood samples are commonly collected using a device that pokes the skin. Dexcom Inc. and Abbott Laboratories also make patches that are put into the skin and must be updated every two weeks.
Apple is adopting a different approach, employing silicon photonics chip technology and an optical absorption spectroscopy measuring technique. The technology employs lasers to direct certain wavelengths of light into a location beneath the skin containing interstitial fluid — chemicals that leak from capillaries and can be absorbed by glucose.
The light is subsequently reflected back to the sensor in such a way that the concentration of glucose is shown. The blood glucose level of a person is then determined using an algorithm.
Hundreds of engineers are working on the project as part of Apple’s Experimental Design Group, or XDG, a previously unknown endeavour similar to Google Inc.’s X division. It’s one of the most closely guarded projects at Apple, which is notorious for keeping things under wraps. It involves even fewer employees than the company’s self-driving car project, which is handled by the Special Projects Group, or the mixed-reality headgear, which is being developed.
Shares of diabetic technology firms fell more than 3% on Wednesday as a result of the announcement, with both Dexcom and Abbott plunging more than 3% before rebounding.
Apple has tested its glucose technology on hundreds of people over the last decade. It has employed the method in human studies with patients who don’t know if they have diabetes, as well as persons with prediabetes and Type 2 diabetes. It has compared its own method to routine tests on blood obtained from veins and samples collected from a prick in the skin, known as capillary blood.
Given Below are Some Adaptive Features of Apple’s:- |
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