and management of blood glucose reduced the risk of complications for eye diseased by 76 %, kidney diseases by 50 %, and nerve diseases by 60 %.
Replacing needles with light beams That ’ s where DiaMonTech comes in : the company has now patented technology whereby an invisible infrared light beam is placed into the skin , enabling the beam to calculate glucose molecules non-invasively . An optic lens guides the infrared laser beam to a sensor crystal , burying the laser further into the skin . At the heart of the measurement system is a state-of-the-art quantum cascade laser , which emits the infrared light in a spectral range , which is then absorbed by the glucose .
The Berlin-based startup was founded in 2015 by Mäntele and current CEO Thorsten Lubinski , who has vast experience in startups . However , Mäntele , inspired to make game changing progress in molecular spectroscopy , had started out with a fundamental scientific view of this problem 20 years ago . Since then , there has been a gradual evolution in achieving glucose monitoring without pricking a finger for blood . Mäntele reflects : “ We could apply the technologies we had in medicine and we started to investigate blood samples and measured them , and then believed we could use more elaborate methods around 2005 , measuring molecules through skin .
“ I saw the necessity to do this , but it required improvement and cooperation between doctors and scientists . Our biggest challenge is the human skin which varies from person to person and with time . To develop a quantitative molecular measurement system and to discern between molecules is a huge mountain to climb .”
Around 2010 , molecules in the skin could be measured in laboratories , and it was then decided to move the process from research to the development of a prototype . The funding received from the business angels was imperative , as industry partner support was necessary to build a prototype – even the big players in diabetes were hesitant to take any part in clinical testing .
The research and development programme from DiaMonTech will be completed in three stages , with
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