Fully automated calibration system maximizes accuracy of continuous blood glucose monitoring while reducing nursing labor burden
Wednesday, July 11, 2012: Oxfordshire, England: GlySure Limited, developer of in-hospital continuous blood glucose monitoring systems, announced today two achievements that considerably strengthen the company’s intellectual property (IP) portfolio. GlySure has been awarded patent number 8,141,409 by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) for a fully automated calibration system to enable accurate continuous blood glucose monitoring. Concurrently, GlySure has acquired ownership of the proprietary reversible fluorescent chemistry at the core of its continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) systems.
GlySure’s technology meets the clinically documented need for Tight Glycemic Control (TGC) in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU). Whether they are diabetic or not, many critically ill patients have elevated glucose levels which increases the risk for sepsis, renal failure, the need for blood transfusions and mortality. Studies have shown that controlling glucose levels in the ICU improves outcomes, reduces mortality and cuts the cost of care by enabling patients to leave the ICU faster and with fewer complications.
“The new calibration patent supports our key goals of providing hospitals with accurate CGM systems while reducing the labor required from already overburdened clinical staff,” said GlySure CEO Chris Jones. “With the issuance of this new patent along with the conversion of our core chemistry from license to ownership we now have full control over our critical technology.”
The automated calibration technology featured in GlySure’s continuous blood glucose monitoring systems provides a fully automated three point calibration at the point of use, while maintaining the sensor’s sterility prior to placement. With GlySure’s technology, the sensor is shipped within the calibrator, which the clinician simply inserts into the monitor’s calibration chamber, which remains sealed during calibration. Once the automatic cycle is complete, the clinician removes the sensor from the calibrator and inserts it into the patient, enabling touch-free introduction and maintaining device sterility.
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Company contact:
Chris Jones, CEO, GlySure, +44 (0)1235 462 870 cjones@glysure.com
Media contact: Kara Della Vecchia, KDV Communications, Inc, +1 508-314-3127kara@kdvcommunications.com
Notes to Editors
About GlySure: GlySure has developed a continuous intravascular glucose monitoring system using a proprietary optical fluorescence sensor to meet the $2B+ worldwide demand for implementation of Tight Glycemic Control (TGC) in the hospital Intensive Care Unit (ICU). The company has demonstrated through ICU testing sensors which can provide continuous glucose readings throughout the length of a patient’s stay in the ICU. GlySure was founded in 2006, it is based in Abingdon, Oxfordshire, England and it has 20 employees. The company’s products are not approved for use in the U.S. or Europe. www.glysure.com
About Tight Glycemic Control (TGC): In 2001 Greet Van den Berghe demonstrated that controlling patient glucose levels in the ICU within tight normal ranges yielded significant improvements in patient outcomes including a 46 per cent reduction in incidence of sepsis, 41 per cent reduction in renal failure, 50 per cent reduction in blood transfusions, and 34 per cent reduction in mortality. This study created a new field of medical research with over 100 publications in the past decade including two showing a financial benefit to the hospital in savings of $1,580 to €2,638 per patient. The challenge for hospitals is that few ICU’s have the resources available to draw blood and perform glucose measurements at the frequency required to safely maintain patients within the target glucose range.
Chantal Ligertwood, PR for Amadeus, +44 (0)7976 229 210 chantal@ligertwood.net