🩸Revolutionary Apple Watch: Beat Diabetes Soon? 🚀

Tech

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Apple’s Decade-Long Quest for Non-Invasive Blood Sugar Monitoring
Apple’s ambition to incorporate blood sugar monitoring into the Apple Watch began with the company’s initial designs. A report from 2023 indicated that the very first Apple Watch was intended to launch with non-invasive glucose measurement as its primary feature. Since then, numerous reports have emerged, many suggesting that this health feature would be included in each subsequent Apple Watch release. Despite more than a decade of development, non-invasive blood sugar monitoring remains unrealized.

A Rising Global Health Crisis
The International Diabetes Federation estimates that over 10% of the adult population now has diabetes, and nearly half of those individuals are unaware of their condition. Diabetes claims millions of lives annually, with particularly high risks for those who develop type 2 diabetes before the age of 40. Early diagnosis is crucial for saving lives, but currently available blood sugar monitoring devices are invasive, requiring a small needle insertion.

The Isaac Device: A Breath-Based Solution
The most promising approach to non-invasive glucose measurement involves analyzing breath – specifically, the presence of “acetone breath,” a common symptom of diabetes, as noted by *Wired* which is developing a device utilizing this method. Through clinical trials and with the hope of receiving FDA approval sometime this year, the Isaac device is currently being tested. This small, quarter-sized device—approximately the size of a quarter—measures volatile organic compounds in a user’s breath to detect biomarkers such as acetone, which can be correlated with rising blood glucose levels.

Clinical Trials and Regulatory Approvals
Active human clinical trials have begun at Indiana University, comparing the Isaac’s performance to traditional blood sugar monitoring among adolescents with type 1 diabetes and, subsequently, adults with type 2 diabetes. The trials are being conducted with the intention of triggering a regulatory review by the US Food and Drug Administration within the coming year. The device functions by having the user hold it up to their mouth and exhale, providing a test that takes only a few seconds.