Abbott Labs Backs SpectRx Laser Glucose Monitoring Project

NORCROSS, Ga., Jan. 5 -- SpectRx Inc. has received a $2 million cash milestone payment from Abbott Laboratories for development of a laser-based continuous glucose monitoring device for people with diabetes. The payment was related to establishing feasibility of the monitoring technology, which eliminates the need for people with diabetes to repeatedly prick their finger for a blood sample or to implant a sensor to obtain a reading.
The continuous glucose-monitoring sensor, worn on top of the skin, offers the promise of allowing people with diabetes to continuously monitor their glucose levels without the pain and inconvenience of fingerstick blood tests or implanting a sensor. Prototypes of the device have shown the capability of providing readings once a minute. The SpectRx technology measures glucose levels in interstitial fluid (ISF) rather than blood. A stream of ISF is collected through an array of microscopic holes or micropores created with a laser in the outer layer of skin, and measured in a patch containing a glucose sensor. The final design of the sensor patch would be used for up to three days, the company said.
SpectRx is a biophotonics company that develops and manufactures painless and bloodless alternatives to medical diagnostic and monitoring procedures.