|
Contact
lenses that warn diabetics of dangerous blood sugar levels to be
developed
A
£120,000 research grant has been awarded to research and develop
contact lenses that use “Sensor Hologram”
technology to help diabetics ensure their blood sugar
levels are not dangerously high
or
low.
The funding will pay for a researcher to be employed for two years to
help develop the new system,
which
automatically senses the glucose levels of diabetics so that they will
no longer have to take blood samples daily.
The researcher will work
for Smart Holograms, based in
Cambridge
,
which is developing the sensors, but will also be
supervised by Dr Tony James and Dr Steve Bull of the
University
of
Bath
’s
Department of Chemistry. Dr James is an expert on
sensors for glucose and Dr Bull is an expert in organic
synthesis.
Dr
James said that at present some diabetics have to take bloods samples
several times a day by pricking
themselves with a needle and checking the sample’s glucose level using
an electronic
kit.
This
is necessary because the glucose level in a diabetic’s blood can rise
or fall too much, which can cause coma or other health problems.
However, taking the samples is painful and inconvenient.
The
new system involves special contact lenses which sense the glucose
levels in the tear fluid of the wearer’s eye, which
may be linked to the concentration of glucose in the
blood.
Changes
in the glucose level in the tear fluid alter the wavelength of light
reflected by the “Sensor Hologram” in the
contact lens, and this can be detected by a small device held up to the
eye to give an accurate reading of the wearer’s glucose level. This
painless system will allow diabetics to monitor their glucose levels
more often, leading to better blood
sugar control and fewer health
problems.
“This
method is the most sensitive of all of the systems that are being
developed for diabetics,” said Dr James.
"When
it comes onto the market it will make the lives of many millions of
diabetics simpler, safer and less
painful.”
The
research team from
Bath
will work on developing a chemical receptor which will be incorporated
into the contact lens and which will only interact
with glucose to produce a change in the hologram is
produced.
The
grant is jointly funded by Smart Holograms and the Department of Trade
and Industry under its Knowledge
Transfer Partnership (KTP) scheme. Dr James and Dr Bull were helped by
Richard Battams, the University’s KTP
Programme
Manager.
Smart
Holograms, which has an investment of £17 million in its work, has a
team of 25 people and facilities in
Cambridge
,
UK
,
and
San
Ramon
,
USA
.
It is also planning to open a commercial office in
Boston
,
USA
,
later this
year.
For
further information, please contact:
Smart
Holograms: +44 (0)1223 393403, email:
Info@SmartHolograms.com,
Website:
http://www.SmartHolograms.com.
Smart
Holograms
is an early-stage company that has exclusive rights to the sensor
hologram technology invented at
Cambridge
University
.
To date, Smart has had an investment of £17 million in its core science
base and in the
business. The Company currently has a team of 25 people (including 10
with PhD) and has two facilities:
in
Cambridge (UK) and in San Ramon (USA). Smart is also planning to open a
new Commercial office in
Boston
later this year. In addition, it has four
partnerships with global, leading companies for exploitation of its
novel
sensor
hologram technology. The company is currently doubling its head count
and aims to be completing development of its first products in
2006.
John
Pritchard PhD MBA
(Chief Technical Officer) has over twenty years of international
management experience from companies such
as Boehringer Mannheim, Genzyme and Hypoguard. At Boehringer Mannheim he
was
responsible for the development of the first generation biosensor test
strip for the Accuchek® Advantage™ blood
glucose monitoring system. He has a PhD in Biochemistry from
Liverpool
University
and an MBA from
Boston
University
.
John joined Smart in November
2005
(4/3/06) |
