Implentable Glucometer

[payam7777777]

I was thinking...
Minimed has an imlantable pump as you probabely know. It's nt yet approved for the States and is used in Erope. But the implantable pump is not the focus of my question. I was thinking, why do they not use the technology of the glucometer in the aforementioned implantable pump to make an 'implantable glucometer'? Wouldnt that be great? A glucometer you implant during some surgery and it wirelessly radiates your readings to some device outside the body.


The most widely used implantable pump, manufactured by Medtronic MiniMed, is now commercially available in the European Union, although in the U.S. its use is restricted to investigational use only.

The Medtronic MiniMed 2007 Implantable Insulin Pump System
http://www.minimed.com/professionals/products/implantablepump/eu.html

Implanted Peritoneal Insulin Infusion Pumps
http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/462879

FDA/NIH Symposium - Saudek
http://www.niddk.nih.gov/fund/other/FDA-NIH/Saudek.pdf

Current status and future of implantable insulin pumps for the treatment of diabetes
http://www.future-drugs.com/doi/abs/10.1586/17434440.1.2.181;jsessionid=o-_OQ58Pxu46T2IulZ?cookieSet=1&journalCode=erd

Minimed History
http://www.minimed.com/about/history.html

Finding a Better Way for Diabetics
http://www.sbdrc.org/Pages/page48.html

mplantable Insulin Pump Therapy
http://www.liebertonline.com/doi/abs/10.1089/dia.2006.8.397

[Jeff]

There is no viable implantable glucose sensor today. Many companies are working on this, but nothing is working sufficiently to consider for commercialization.

Sensing glucose is a very, very hard problem. If it were easy, we'd have these sensors already.

[payam7777777]

You're right.

Chief engineer behind Minimed's implantable pump (One heaven of an engineer indeed) Kindly replies to my questions:
(His name though i dont disclose for privacy purposes)

Dear Payam,
The idea of "long term implantable glucose sensor" has been around for
quite some time. In fact we developed a product based on that concept.
The problem is that any sensor needs to be replaced which means a
surgery.
Having a surgery every year or so is not very desirable if you are a
Type 1 diabetic and 20 years old!

Thank you for your thoughts.

-----Original Message-----

Hi,

Quick suggestion.
Why not use the implantable pump technology just for making an
implantable glucometer? Wouldnt it be great? A surgery and voila you
have continouos readings of the glucose levels.

Best.