Developing a non-invasive continuous glucose monitor

Continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) means using a device to estimate your blood glucose, also called blood sugar, throughout the day and night. It involves using a needle to insert a tube underneath your skin, which then stays in plays for a few days. Inserting the device can be painful. It can damage skin and cause reactions that stop the device giving correct results.

Being able to reliably monitor blood sugar levels with CGM has improved how people living with diabetes are treated. It is also important because more and more children and young people are getting diabetes, which places a significant strain on healthcare systems like the NHS.

During this project we will be collaborating with Transdermal Diagnostics, a company developing wearable technology to improve prevention, diagnosis and management of chronic conditions such as diabetes.

Transdermal Diagnostics has developed a needle-free CGM monitor. The device is a wearable skin patch with disposable parts. It is user-friendly and discreet. A special mobile app communicates results from the patch on the skin to a user’s smartphone.

Project aims

The aim of this project is to develop a painless, user friendly and affordable CGM system.

To do this, we will organise workshops, surveys, and focus groups to understand user needs and refine product design. Engaging young people and their parents/carers will help Transdermal Diagnostics create a device users can trust.

What we hope to achieve

We want to explore whether young people with type 1 diabetes would find a wearable skin patch for CGM appealing. We would also like to use their input to design a ‘first in human’ study of this technology.

Watch video

Watch Transdermal Diagnostics’ co-founder and CEO, Luca Lipani, talk about the new generation of non-invasive, wearable devices his team are working on.