Diseases falling within the metabolic syndrome are increasing in prevalence throughout the global population. Diabetes alone affects almost half a billion people worldwide. Measurement of glucose levels in the bloodstream remains fundamental in diabetes management, yet current technology for glucose measurements in diabetic patients are either invasive and obtain blood samples through a finger prick, or use non-invasive glucose monitoring devices, which nevertheless require frequent calibration based on finger prick measurements.

GLUMON aims to leverage progress in optoacoustic detection, developed under the FET project RSENSE (GA #862811), to offer the next generation of quantitative non-invasive biochemical sensing in-vivo, with technology that addresses the limitations of existing biomedical sensors. A driving innovation is the ability to offer accurate glucose measurements in a portable way that would offer superior performance to transdermal sensors in a completely non-invasive fashion, i.e. without the need for penetrating the skin barrier.

The objectives of the GLUMON project are to:

1. mature optoacoustic technology from a lab bench-top setup to a functional portable sensor prototype;
2. improve its market readiness level;
3. validate and demonstrate the sensor in the lab as well as in preclinical and clinical settings;
4. develop a sound business case and exploitation strategy; and
5. address regulatory and ethical requirements for this medical device in preparation for the next phase.