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Apple is inching closer to its goal of adding non-invasive blood glucose monitoring technology to its Watch, a development that promises to transform diabetic healthcare.
Anonymous sources told Bloomberg that Apple’s 12-year effort to develop a no-prick glucose monitor has reached the “proof-of-concept” stage that’s led the company to believe it can be brought to market. The goal is to add functionality to the Apple Watch that would enable people to test their blood glucose without pricking their skin.
Apple’s technology, while still years away, could be life-changing for diabetics and bolster the company’s position in the health care industry.
Apple Watch as a glucose monitor
According to Bloomberg, Apple’s glucose monitoring system uses lasers to shine light under the skin to gauge glucose concentration. Hundreds of engineers are working on the technology, which needs to be shrunk in order to become wearable.
The super-secret project began in 2010, when Steve Jobs directed Apple to buy a startup called RareLight, which was developing alternative glucose monitoring technology. Before becoming part of Apple’s Exploratory Design Group, the project actually operated as Avolonte Health LLC, which seemingly had no affiliation with Apple.
Apple reportedly has conducted human trials of its blood glucose technology for 10 years with people with diabetes and prediabetes as well as those who haven’t been diagnosed with the disease.
Apple hopes to not only help ease monitoring for diabetics, but to provide an early warning to pre-diabetics, Bloomberg reported.
Blood glucose testing today
There are 37.3 million people in the US with diabetes – about one in ten, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. About one in five Americans have diabetes, but don’t know it.
It’s a costly disease. People with diagnosed diabetes have medical expenses that are twice the average cost for people without it, the CDC said.
Most diabetics use glucose monitoring devices that prick the skin to draw blood and then measure the sample. Some use sensors inserted under the skin to measure blood sugar continuously. Either way, it’s not a pleasant process.
Previous efforts to develop non-invasive glucose testing to market have failed, including an attempt by a Google subsidiary to develop contact lenses that could measure blood glucose in tears.
Smart health technology: How data can improve patient care
Smart health technology can play a big role in long-term health by providing data to improve patient care and outcomes.
Expanding Apple’s healthcare role
If glucose monitoring is added to the Apple Watch, it will expand the big role the device already plays in healthcare for many users.
In addition to the smartwatch’s built-in heart rate monitor, it has an electrocardiogram (ECG) app that can detect heart problems. It also features a blood oxygen sensor; low blood oxygen saturation levels can indicate serious conditions that require immediate treatment.
The Apple Watch app also has a fall detection feature that vibrates and sounds an alarm after a fall, and a user can set the watch to call for help.
Other features help people track their medications and alert them when it’s time to take them, record their sleep patterns, and detect signs of atrial fibrillation.
Like other big technology companies, Apple has made a big push into healthcare.
In a paper released last summer, the company said its working to advance health with personal health and fitness features on its Watch and iPhone, and also by working with the medical community to support research and care.
“Our vision for the future is to continue to create science-based technology that equips people with even more information and acts as an intelligent guardian for their health, so they’re no longer passengers on their own health journey,” wrote Apple Chief Operating Officer Jeff Williams.
Mixed reactions to Apple’s glucose monitor project
News of Apple’s glucose monitor effort drew a variety of reactions. Some praise it as a potential game-changer for the healthcare industry that could improve the lives of diabetics.
“As a diabetic who wears a continuous glucose monitoring system, I can tell you it’s not all sunshine and rainbows. Having to wear, monitor, and maintain 2 ports (one for my insulin cannula and one for the sensor) can be tedious, inconvenient, and stressful – not to mention expensive,” a healthcare consultant wrote on LinkedIn.
“Having a non-invasive option such as this – wearing a watch that I typically wear anyway – gives me hope for a better future,” she added.
While one expert sees the potential for Apple’s project to vastly reduce the cost of glucose monitoring, others were skeptical. “Now, even when making healthcare decisions, will Apple products dominate?” a student asked.
