Blood Glucose MonitoringIntroductionBlood glucose monitoring has seen many different technologies. From the basic technology of needle testing to the insulin pumps used today, technology has seen many groundbreaking innovations that together have shaped the market as it is today. Generally speaking, the main disruptive technologies in the blood glucose monitoring market can be summarized as follows:1. Needlestick Detection – This technology involved using a needle to draw blood onto a strip. The blood was then analyzed using a glucometer to give the blood sugar reading. Although the technology was simplistic and fairly accurate, problems included a lack of compliance due to pain from finger pricks and blood loss.2. Non-invasive blood sugar monitoring – This technology involved the use of innovative devices such as watches that extracted interstitial fluid non-invasively from under the skin and used this fluid in an integrated glucometer to give a blood sugar reading. Although development efforts for this project began in 1991, it was not until 2002 that the first non-invasive glucometer was approved. The advantages of this technology are ease of use and continuous monitoring. However, early devices lacked precision and were extremely uncomfortable and unreliable for patients.3. Implantable Glucometer with Insulin Pumps – This technology involves implanting the glucometer in the body and continuously draws blood from one of the veins to take blood sugar readings. Development of this technology began around the same time as non-invasive blood glucose monitoring. In recent years, implantable glucometers have been combined with insulin pumps forming a feedback loop to automatically control blood sugar levels in the body. Development of Glucose Monitoring Technologies The needle prick method was one of the first innovations in blood glucose monitoring and remained the gold standard for some time. From the time the Ames company launched Dextrosix in 1965, this invasive method of blood glucose technology advanced rapidly. Although the first glucometer took six years to follow the Dextrostix blood strip, progress followed quickly. There were 2 companies in the market in 1971, but by 1987 there were 20 companies in the market working on producing a better blood glucose meter. In 1987, as standard blood glucose monitoring technologies reached a plateau in terms of innovation, an effort to launch low-cost blood glucose monitoring began. This effort aimed to make glucometers easily accessible at home, making it easier for patients to use..