Study to Evaluate a Prototype Non-Invasive BG Measurement System

Diabetes is a chronic disease currently affecting more than 425 million people worldwide. In the UK, the number of people currently diagnosed with diabetes surpassed 3.8 million in 2019, with someone being diagnosed with the illness every two minutes (Diabetes.org figures).By the end of this year, 4 million deaths will happen worldwide as a result of diabetes and its complications. These complications include renal failure, blindness, and amputation. It is well established clinically that good glycaemic control minimises the risk of long-term complications and improves morbidity and mortality. Current problems with frequent blood glucose testing are mainly due to patient intolerability. Many patients find finger prick testing for blood glucose levels to be painful, dislike using sharp objects and seeing their own blood. There is also a risk of infection, and in the long term, this practice can result in damage to the finger tissue. This is because the fingers have a high concentration of sensory nerve endings. Additionally, the current invasive blood glucose monitoring systems suffer limitations in terms of the requirement for continuous calibration and susceptibility to contamination by the growth of various living organisms. The Afon technology device would be a gamechanger in terms of improving the quality of life of millions of patients and improve their chances to manage the condition without severe complications.