chronic disease management

 

1 in 3 people worldwide suffer from chronic conditions, leading to approximately 41 million deaths per year.  Our mission is to lighten up the lives of people living with chronic disease by enabling accurate continuous multi-metabolite monitoring to improve outcomes, lower costs and enhance quality of life. 1

Target market 1: Diabetes

 

What is diabetes?

Diabetes mellitus, or simply diabetes, is a metabolic disorder in which the glucose levels in the blood are elevated because the body cannot produce (enough) insulin, or is less sensitive to insulin (so called insulin resistance).

Insulin is a hormone produced in the pancreas that promotes glucose absorption into the body’s cells where it converts into energy. The lack of insulin or the inability of the cells to respond to insulin leads to high levels of blood glucose, also known as hyperglycemia.

If left untreated over the long term, diabetes can cause several life-threatening complications. Acute complications include diabetic ketoacidosis. Long-term complications include cardiovascular disease, stroke, chronic kidney disease, foot ulcers, neuropathy, nephropathy and eye disease, leading to retinopathy and blindness.

However, these serious complications can be delayed or even prevented with careful monitoring and managing.

Today, Continuous Glucose Monitoring is the golden standard in diabetes self-management.

According to the International Diabetes Federation (IDF), 1 in 11 adults or 425 million people worldwide suffer from diabetes today.

This figure is expected to increase by 50% to 628.6 million by 2045. Diabetes accounts for 12% of the global health expenditure and is the 5th leading cause of early death.2

Continuous Glucose Monitoring

Continuous Glucose Monitoring (CGM) is today’s cornerstone of “diabetes self-management” and has proven itself as the most effective solution to reduce the economic and societal burden of diabetes.

Self-monitoring of glucose for people living with diabetes has allowed patients to take control of their disease and thus directly affect the outcomes related to it.

The most well-known and prominent medical device for monitor blood glucose for diabetics are the finger-prick devices. 

CONTINUOUS KETONE MONITORING

Continuous ketone monitoring can be a helpful tool for individuals with certain medical conditions or who are following specific diets.  It can help detect the presence of ketones in the body, which can be a sign of an underlying health condition or indicate that the individual is in a state of ketosis. For people with diabetes, monitoring ketone levels can help detect early signs of diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA), a potentially life-threatening complication of the disease.

You may never need to use a continuous ketone monitoring device, but there could be a time when it could save your life.

Professor David O’Neal

Clinical Endocrinologist and Professor, University of Melbourne

CONTINUOUS MULTI-METABOLITE MONITORING

Today, Indigo is developing a next generation solution for CGM called a continuous multi-metabolite monitoring system (CMM®). It is designed to provide people living with diabetes access to information on their glucose and other metabolite levels at any given time, without requiring them to wear an external device on their body, or need a daily fingerprick.

“Clinical evidence has proven that CGMs are effective tools for people with diabetes to improve glycemic control. We strongly believe Indigo’s invisible sensor is the next stage. Not only will it allow better monitoring and treatment of diabetes, but the psychological impact of continuously painful finger-pricking or having to live daily with visible sensors will be a thing of the past thanks to this Indigo sensor.”

Dr Harrold van Barlingen

Thuja Capital

Target market 2: Chronic Kidney Disease

 

WHAT IS CHRONIC KIDNEY DISEASE?

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a long-term condition in which the kidneys are damaged and cannot filter blood properly. It is a common disease that can eventually lead to kidney failure, stroke or heart attacks.  It is often asymptomatic in the early stages and may not be diagnosed until the disease has progressed. However, CKD detection and management are important to slow the progression of the disease and prevent complications.

In the US alone, according to the National Kidney Foundation, it affects 37 million adults.

CKD is often detected later than necessary, failing to prevent costly interventions such as dialysis or transplants. Annual healthcare spend for a CKD patient is approximately $90k.

WHICH METABOLITES ARE MONITORED IN PATIENTS WITH CKD?

CKD is a condition where the kidneys are not able to filter blood properly, resulting in an imbalance of various metabolites in the body. Commonly monitored metabolites in patients with CKD include:

  • Creatinine: Creatinine is a waste product produced by muscle metabolism. It is usually filtered out of the blood by the kidneys, but in patients with CKD, the kidneys are unable to do this effectively. Monitoring creatinine levels can be used to estimate kidney function.
  • Blood urea nitrogen (BUN): BUN is a waste product produced when the body breaks down proteins. Like creatinine, it is normally filtered out of the blood by the kidneys. Elevated BUN levels in patients with CKD can indicate reduced kidney function.
  • Albumin: Albumin is a protein produced by the liver and found in the blood. In patients with CKD, low levels of albumin can indicate malnutrition, inflammation, or liver disease.
  • Electrolytes such as potassium, and minerals such as phosphorus and calcium.

IMPACT OF MONITORING CKD

CKD is often detected later than necessary, resulting in costly interventions such as dialysis or kidney transplants. By monitoring creatinine and other metabolites that indicate kidney function, in real-time, the risk of CKD progression could be identified sooner.  This could result in optimized dialysis, reducing unnecessary hospital visits.  It could also provide real-time feedback on the success of kidney transplants, thereby revolutionizing patient care pathways.

The intersection of diabetes and CKD

More than 1 in 3 people with diabetes also has CKD, requiring glucose, ketone, creatinine and other metabolite monitoring. Indigo’s CMM® is the only sensor in the market that can deliver an accurate, finger-prick free solutions to this segment, and will revolutionise current healthcare solutions.

OTHER APPLICATIONS

Our versatile and revolutionary sensor is invaluable across several settings. While our short-term commercial success will be driven by growth in diabetes and CKD applications, there are several markets that our sensor could expand into, including but not limited to, oncology and cardiovascular disease.

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