Acetone is present in the exhaled breath of any human. Furthermore, it is known from clinical practice and medical research that the presence of increased levels of acetone in the exhaled breath indicates excessive glucose in the blood. To this end, Verichip is developing the Easy Check breath glucose detection device.
Currently under development in Israel, Easy Check is a non-invasive breath glucose detection device that measures the level of acetone in a patient’s exhaled breath and correlates that acetone level to a measure of blood glucose. The Easy Check technology is based on a patent-pending reagent cell that mixes a patient’s exhaled air with a proprietary chemical compound, triggering a chemical reaction. The reaction is measured and software in the Easy Check device then interprets the measurement and correlates the patient’s acetone level to the level of glucose in the body. This could eliminate a patient’s need to prick his or her finger multiple times per day to get a blood sugar reading.
The device functions as follows:
- The patient breathes into the single-use capsule containing the chemical sensor and into the air-flow sensor of the compact Easy Check device
- The device then forces the air from its air chamber into the reagent chamber
- The patient’s expired air molecules create a very large molecule to achieve a chemical reaction that can be measured by the device’s optical sensor.
Previous data on acetone/glucose correlation was insufficient for reliable statistics. Now, the discovery of the use of a proprietary chemical compound containing the Na-Np heavy molecule complex to generate a chemical reaction able to be reliably measured has brought the knowledge of acetone-glucose correlation to a new level.
The Easy Check reagent capsule will be a single-use capsule that is discarded once the patient obtains a reading. In contrast to test strips, there should be little to no waste as the patient will not be manipulating the capsule prior to inserting it in the device. The device is expected to provide a reading in five to seven seconds, with the same accuracy tolerances as present day glucometers, in a safe and pain-free testing alternative.
Based on successful preliminary laboratory tests that validated its proprietary technology, PSID continues its development of Easy Check, the portable non-invasive breath glucose detection device. The laboratory results included breath tests conducted at PSID’s research facility outside Tel Aviv, Israel under the guidance of Dr. Vadim Goldstein, D.Sci., Chemistry. The results depict a consistent correlation of blood glucose levels as compared with a standard blood glucose meter that are within acceptable industry standards. With further testing, calibration, and development of the device’s software and algorithms, the results may yield a non-invasive device applicable to a significant portion of the diabetic patient population.