Kumetrix Inc.
This article was originally published in Start Up
Executive Summary
Failure to monitor blood glucose regularly to control sugar levels is the leading cause of health complications in diabetics. The primary reason for this failure is the pain involved in the most common method of monitoring -- pricking a fingertip with a lancet to draw a blood sample. While 95% of the $3 billion market for blood glucose monitoring products is held by just four companies, there has been a surge of entrants into the field in recent years. These new players hope to improve patient compliance by developing noninvasive and painless methods for sampling blood or interstitial fluids through the use of implants, spectroscopy, ultrasound, and other innovative techniques. The failure rate among these start-ups is high. And despite the promise of many of these methods, industry analysts agree that an easy to use, cost-effective and reliable alternative to the finger prick is still years away. Kumetrix Inc., a San Francisco-based start-up, believes that it can offer an interim solution with its integrated glucose self-test device, designed to mimic the painless bite of the mosquito.