New Partnership Seeks Mobile Phone Diabetes Solutions

The collaboration includes Gentag, NovioSense, Mayo Clinic, and the Fraunhofer Institute for Microelectronic Circuits and Systems.

Chris Newmarker

A new global effort is underway to create a mobile phone-based platform for low-cost, on-demand pain free diabetes monitoring to people worldwide.

Development will take place on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean by NovioSense BV and Gentag, along with the diabetes teams from Mayo Clinic and the sensor and near field communication teams of Fraunhofer Institute for Microelectronic Circuits and Systems. The idea is to better combat the growing cases of type 2 diabetes worldwide.

The venture is covered by 75 patents worldwide and is being touted as creating a significantly lower cost treatment for type 2 diabetes. It builds on a previously announced partnership between Mayo and Gentag. NovioSense and Fraunhofer had been collaborating previously.

The strategy involves using near field communication-enabled smartphones as readers, replacing traditional glucometers.

Gentag and NovioSense have technology platforms for low-cost disposable diabetes sensors powered by NFC-enabled mobile phones and devices. Mayo Clinic brings its medical expertise to the effort, and will create customized apps for diabetes monitoring applications. Fraunhofer has advanced sensor and chip design abilities.

"By creating a device powered only by the NFC antennas found in most modern smart phones, and combining this with a pain free sensor platform, we can cut the cost and burden of glucose monitoring dramatically," NovioSense CEO Christopher Wilson said in a news release.

Chris Newmarker is senior editor of Qmed and MPMN. Follow him on Twitter at @newmarker.

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