Finnish health tech startups:
Freedom from needles is no small thing in healthcare. A Helsinki-based startup GlucoModicum has discovered and developed a new technology which enables needle-free health monitoring. This completely novel technology is now being turned into a genuine consumer product.
“The accuracy and safety of the technology, used by our solutions, has been validated in clinical pilots,” says Jokke Mäki, CEO of GlucoModicum.How does it all work, then? – GlucoModicum’s proprietary magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) technology allows for needle-free measuring of glucose levels from the skin, explains Mäki.“The first solution has been created for needle-free glucose monitoring, but the needle-free approach can obviously be used in connection to various forms of treatment,” he adds.According to Mäki, blood glucose monitoring is essential for the diagnosis and management of diabetes, but there are no needle-free glucose monitoring solutions on the market right now.“The currently available invasive technologies can be both painful and time-consuming – and, what’s more, they can lead to extreme glucose levels remaining unnoticed, as people do not want to stick needles in their body for the purpose of monitoring their health,” Mäki says.
We offer a solution that is gentle on the skin while enabling continuous glucose monitoring and delivering rapid, accurate results.
Jokke Mäki, CEO of GlucoModicumJokke Mäki, CEO of Glucomodicum
Face the challenge
Mäki explains that until now, high quality, non-invasive sampling of interstitial fluid has been the missing piece of the puzzle in enabling accurate, needle-free glucose monitoring by wearable devices. GlucoModicum believes it now has the technology to climb this final hurdle.Combining its novel platform technology with the development of highly sensitive biosensors and advanced algorithms, GlucoModicum is paving the way for groundbreaking ways to monitor diabetes. The company seeks to accomplish this via two ways: as a wearable device and remotely for healthcare professionals.This approach to measuring glucose levels is, first and foremost, non-invasive:“We offer a solution that is gentle on the skin while enabling continuous glucose monitoring and delivering rapid, accurate results.”
Scientific edge
GlucoModicum has its roots deep in the scientific community. The MHD technology was discovered as part of a scientific research project at the University of Helsinki in 2016, explains Mäki.“The innovation was assessed to hold also commercial appeal and therefore the startup was launched in 2018,” he says.The five founders are all researchers and GlucoModicum continues to be “stacked” with science: there are ten PhDs, for example, in a company with 20+ employees.“The secret sauce, one could say, lies in taking all this expertise and putting it together for the best possible results,” Mäki says, adding that there are nine nationalities in the company.Prototypes Flint and Talisman. “We’re very committed to making this a success,” says Jokke Mäki.
Startup Fast Facts
Name: GlucoModicumProduct: Needle-free health monitoring device TalismanFounded: 2018Team size: 20+Target customer/market: Medical professionals, diabetes patients
Building the product
Since its launch three years ago, the startup has built an industrial grade prototype showcasing its technology, by the name of Flint – with a commercial device in tow.“We’re developing a product called Talisman and are expecting to launch it within 2-3 years,” Mäki says.The expectations are certainly high. Scientific Reports, part of the Nature Research portfolio, published in April 2021 peer-reviewed results which show that GlucoModicum’s novel approach of sampling dermal interstitial fluid was 13 times faster and more effective than its predecessor, reverse iontophoresis.“We have a great deal of faith in our technology, but there’s no way getting around the fact that commercialization is hard work. Nevertheless, we are very committed to making this a success,” Mäki says.Assessing the impact and reach of the Helsinki Metropolitan health ecosystem, Mäki confesses to being impressed by the ideas of the colleagues, as well.“There are a lot of innovations within the ecosystem that may not be very well known – yet.”Text: Sami J. Anteroinen
By Health Capital Helsinki
