The Blood Sugar Buzz

3D printing and new tech are improving glucose monitoring for diabetics

- Matthew Flynn

According to the American Diabetes Association, nearly half of all adults in the United States have diabetes or prediabetes. As a result, the worldwide market for diabetes care devices is expected to top $30 billion by 2022. Fortunately for those dealing with the difficulties that accompany diabetes, this means that there is ample incentive for investing time and money into researching new treatments.

Successfully monitoring blood sugar levels to prevent either hypoglycemia (low blood glucose levels) or hyperglycemia (high blood glucose levels) can be a matter of life or death for diabetics. Until recently, the methods employed to monitor glucose levels have been both slow to advance and costly.

A NEED FOR PROGRESS

The finger-prick method of blood sampling dates back nearly half a century, but many are still left with that as the primary way to draw blood and test blood sugar levels, despite it being antiquated and painful. Some have moved forward to continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) devices, which first appeared in 1999.