Introduction
Diabetes is a prevalent chronic disease affecting over 0.5 billion adults worldwide, with another 0.5 billion being prediabetic. The condition can lead to debilitating complications such as blindness, kidney failure, heart attack, stroke, and lower limb amputation. In 2021, diabetes caused 6.7 million deaths and nearly $1 trillion was spent on treatments. At Vastmindz, we are committed to improving lives through innovative digital health solutions, and we are excited to announce our collaboration with the University of Surrey on a ground-breaking project that aims to revolutionize blood glucose monitoring for diabetics using photoplethysmography (PPG) signals.
The Current State of Blood Glucose Monitoring
Currently, diabetics must monitor their blood glucose levels several times a day, typically through finger pricking. This method is invasive and only provides a single point measurement. Continuous blood glucose monitors exist but they are expensive and invasive. A non-invasive, affordable alternative is needed to revolutionize diabetic care and management.
The Innovative Project
Led by Professor Philip Aston, the project aims to develop machine learning algorithms based on PPG signals, using the recently developed Symmetric Projection Attractor Reconstruction (SPAR) method, to estimate blood glucose levels. PPG sensors are non-invasive, inexpensive, and widely available in wearable devices such as smartwatches. Incorporating this algorithm into a wearable device would offer non-invasive, continuous blood glucose monitoring, potentially improving health outcomes for millions of people and reducing healthcare costs.
Collaboration with Partners
Vastmindz is proud to be collaborating with esteemed partners on this innovative project. Prof. Christian Heiss, a consultant vascular physician and Surrey academic and Dr. Manasi Nandi(KCL), co-inventor of the SPAR method, bring their expertise and experience to the project. Vastmindz contributes to the project by providing data for machine learning, as well as planning to collect further data with academic partners in Brazil and around the world.
Project Goals and Potential Impact
The primary goal of this project is to create a proof-of-concept study that can be used to obtain further funding for commercialisation. The team will apply SPAR to PPG signals and use machine learning to determine blood glucose levels.
If successful, this technology could transform the management and control of diabetes and prediabetes, impacting millions of lives and reducing healthcare costs associated with the disease. Vastmindz is excited to be part of this ground-breaking project, which aligns with our mission to provide innovative digital health solutions to improve people’s lives.
Conclusion
At Vastmindz, we believe that innovative digital health solutions can transform the way we manage and treat chronic diseases such as diabetes. Our collaboration on this ground-breaking project has the potential to revolutionize blood glucose monitoring for diabetics, improving health outcomes for millions and reducing healthcare costs. We look forward to sharing our progress and future developments as we work towards creating a non-invasive, affordable and continuous blood glucose monitoring solution in colloboration with our patners that can truly make a difference in people’s lives.
Nikhil Sehgal
