Smart contact lens wins national James Dyson Award

A team of students from the University of Waterloo has won the national leg of the 2016 James Dyson Award with their project Smart Contact Lens Platform. Harry Gandhi, Huayi Gao and Maarij Baig’s company, Medella Health, is developing a smart contact lens that continuously monitors glucose levels in tear film for diabetes management. The information collected is sent to a user’s mobile phone so patients can better manage glucose levels throughout the day. The team will receive $4,000 for further research and development on their project and will progress to the international leg of the award.

The problem: one in 10 Canadians has diabetes, a condition characterized by having high blood sugar. Diabetics have to regularly draw blood, typically by pricking their finger, to monitor blood glucose levels. Diabetes management is vitally important, and the current invasive method of monitoring glucose levels often leads to low compliance rates.

The solution: a smart contact lens that allows diabetics to actively monitor their blood glucose levels, sending readings to their smart phone. The lens consists of three main components embedded onto the lens:

1)    Detection module: non-enzymatic sensor composed of unique nanomaterials that can detect glucose in micro-molecular concentrations. It measures the voltage in the circuit that is generated when glucose interacts with the sensor and uses a specific algorithm to determine the glucose concentration from the measured current.

2)    Power module: reader device that wirelessly transfers energy to the antenna in the lens.

3)    Communication module: integrated circuit composed of a chip and antenna embedded within the contact lens that converts analog data into digital data that can be read by a mobile device.

The team cites what sets their device apart from others is its ability to monitor multiple biomarkers in tear film and that Medella Health’s glucose sensors last 30 days versus others that last for one or two days. The students estimate the device will operate at a lower cost than other glucometers that are currently on market. Today, North Americans spend between $1,500-$4,000 annually on glucose monitoring, while Medella Health plans to offer their lens for $2,500 per year, basing their cost on a monthly subscription model.