10034772Non-contact optical meter for diabetes screening in non-clinical settingsClosedCollaborative R&DInnovate UKType 2 diabetes(T2D) is characterised by insulin resistance leading to high blood glucose levels(BG) and affects 4.8mn people in the UK and 422mn globally. Prevalence is rising in most countries; globally 700mn people are predicted to have diabetes, and 374mn pre-diabetes by 2045\. Prediabetes is reversible however, most people aren't diagnosed until they present full diabetes symptoms. Those who don't suspect may never be tested. Costs associated with diabetes and related complications to global health services are ~10% of all government health spending - unsustainable to the point that the WHO now classifies it as a pandemic. Early diagnosis is vital to enable the prevention/management of diabetes when it is relatively inexpensive (healthy diet, physical activity). IDF(International Diabetes Foundation) recommends wide screening of older people. T2D is increasing in children/younger adults, demonstrating a need for broad diabetes screening. However, there is currently no simple and accurate way of doing so. To meet this need Occuity has designed AGE reader; based on research that demonstrates the concentration of Advanced Glycation End-Products (AGEs) within the eye correlates to blood glucose levels and therefore risk of diabetes. AGE reader will be a handheld, non-contact device that shines a blue light into the eye to illuminate the ocular lens and the returning scattered and fluorescent light from the AGEs will be detected and AGE levels and diabetes risk determined. That is cheaper and faster than competitors and requires no blood draws or patient fasting and is compatible with nonclinical settings. This project will develop a TRL3 benchtop device to prove the technical advances to make a functioning meter, provide a route forward to a viable(size, cost, functionality) product and gather data on 'normal' levels of AGE in the lens across ages 18-70\. Our route to market is through external healthcare providers, such as pharmacies, optometrists and opticians who, having benefited financially from implementing screening such as covid and Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) testing, demand new value-adding screening tools that can be easily administered. Therefore this project will also define appropriate pathways into the NHS optician/optometry community, understanding of the use cases, funding mechanisms and integration requirements for pharmacies, and describe the clinical pathway changes necessary within the NHS to enable a widespread screening program to be adopted, e.g. reimbursement mechanisms. Advances in Occuity's technology will also provide a platform for developing further screening devices (e.g. Amyloid plaques for Alzheimer's disease).