TRUMPF, RSP Systems Collaborating on Miniaturized Non-Invasive Glucose Sensor

TRUMPF Photonic Components and RSP Systems are joining forces to make life easier for people with diabetes.

Rather than pricking their fingers with a needle or undergoing surgery for an implant, the companies envision a future in which people with diabetes will simply wear a device on their wrist that reads their glucose with a minilaser. To that end, the companies have now entered a partnership to develop a sensor that will allow RSP’s non-invasive technology to be miniaturized to a wearable format. TRUMPF is bringing its expertise as a global leader in the field of the miniature laser diodes required for this purpose—VCSELs.

“With our knowledge of the mechanisms of photonics, we can soon enable people with diabetes to measure their blood glucose levels more easily, more cheaply and entirely without pain. This partnership once again shows the innovation potential of VCSEL technology,” TRUMPF Photonic Components CEO Berthold Schmidt said.
 
RSP Systems already has portable, optical, sensor-based devices that can measure glucose levels but they are the size of a paperback book. Over the past 10 years, the company has developed an accurate, factory calibrated and clinically proven glucose monitor that provides accurate glucose readings just by touching the skin and with no need for calibration.

“Touch Glucose Monitoring has been an ambition for device developers over the last three decades due to the vast implications for hundreds of millions of people, needing to keep an eye on their glucose levels. Together with Trumpf Photonics, we will realize a wrist-worn device, aimed to cover all uses from people on insulin therapy to people at risk for developing diabetes, literally hundreds of millions of people,” RSP Systems CEO Anders Weber stated.
 
According to the International Diabetes Federation, approximately 540 million adults worldwide live with diabetes, half of whom have not yet been diagnosed. By 2030, the number of people affected is expected to rise to 643 million, and by 2045, to 783 million. “If we are successful together, we will improve the lives of hundreds of millions of people,” Schmidt said. The Ulm-based company’s lasers are already used in smartphones, smartwatches, digital data transmission and sensors for autonomous driving.

“VCSEL lasers are clearing the way for a glucose sensor for your wrist—people with diabetes can thus keep an eye on their glucose levels at all times,” Weber noted. Diabetes costs at least $966 billion in healthcare expenditures globally to date. 
 
TRUMPF is a high-tech company offering manufacturing solutions in machine tools and laser technology. The company drives digital connectivity in manufacturing through consulting, platform products, and software. In 2021/22, the company employed about 16,500 people and generated sales of roughly €4.2 billion. With more than 80 subsidiaries, the TRUMPF Group is represented in nearly every European country as well as in North America, South America, and Asia. The company has production facilities in Germany, France, the United Kingdom, Italy, Austria, Switzerland, Poland, the Czech Republic, the United States, Mexico, and China.
 
RSP Systems is dedicated to improving the health and quality of life of people worldwide through its patented solution for non-invasive glucose monitoring. The first targeted application is a product line of non-invasive glucose monitors, which provides people with diabetes with a convenient, pain-free alternative to the current invasive solutions. RSP combines Critical-Depth Raman spectroscopy with advanced mathematical modelling to accurately measure glucose in the interstitial fluid. The company has demonstrated its technology in numerous clinical studies in Denmark, Germany, and Sweden, accumulating more than 250,000 datapoints, using its first device aimed for commercialization, and the company is ready to prepare for market clearance in the United States.