Glucotrack (Nasdaq:GCTK) announced today that it plans to expand its glucose monitoring technology to measure glucose in the epidural space.
Rutherford, New Jersey-based Glucotrack said CGM taking readings in the spinal epidural space could integrate with existing treatments for painful diabetic neuropathy (PDN). Specifically, Glucotrack sees spinal cord stimulation (SCS) technology as a potential integration candidate.
SCS devices feature electrodes placed in the epidural space, sending low levels of electricity directly into the spinal cord to relieve pain. Glucotrack’s sensor could work with existing SCS devices to measure glucose in PDN patients undergoing SCS treatment. The company says this combination could provide several advantages, including simplifying device management.
According to a news release, Glucotrack already successfully completed preclinical animal testing in an acute setting. It now has a long-term animal study underway to assess sustained epidural glucose monitoring performance.
Preclinical testing pitted Glucotrack’s sensor against blood glucose and a commercially available subcutaneous CGM. It used an acute large animal model with varying blood glucose levels over several hours. Results demonstrated that Glucotrack’s glucose values closely tracked both blood glucose and subcutaneous CGM values. The study also recorded no adverse effect on the animals. A second study confirmed the repeatability of the results.
“We have always been committed to developing a portfolio of innovative glucose monitoring technologies to offer patients with diabetes more choice; today’s announcement underscores this commitment.” said Paul V. Goode, CEO of Glucotrack. “We are excited to pioneer the epidural glucose monitoring space which we believe holds meaningful strategic potential. By making disease management more intuitive and less intrusive, Glucotrack is looking beyond traditional approaches to improve the quality of life for millions of people with diabetes.”
