Quantune joins quest for the holy grail of non-invasive glucose monitoring
Berlin-based Quantune is trying to shrink laser spectrometers so that you can wear one on your wrist, and it just raised $9M to do it.
Numerous companies have tried and failed to develop a device that can measure blood sugar levels without pricking the skin for a blood sample. Even Alphabet had a go at it with contact lenses for diabetic patients, but abandoned the project in 2018.
Still, the quest for non-invasive glucose monitoring continues to captivate scientists and investors. A slew of startups and several large companies, including Apple, are working on various approaches to solving the puzzle.
Berlin-based Quantune Technologies may have made some progress: Its founders, Dr. Jan Kischkat (pictured above at the far right) and Nikolaus Hahne (pictured above, second from right), said they have succeeded in reducing the size of an infrared laser spectrometer to a much smaller size. Laser spectrometers are normally bulky devices that can measure glucose and other molecules non-invasively in interstitial fluid, which nourishes all the cells and is present right below the skin, Kischkat explained.
The company’s goal is to embed its technology in a wrist-worn device that can be used by anyone, not just diabetics, since continuous blood glucose monitoring has many applications in sports and weight management.
But first, Quantune needs to get two things right: shrink its device further and get it to work outside the lab.
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