Subcutaneous biomarkers transmit glucose data to mobile phones

The start-up SAVA is developing a wearable device with biosensors capable of detecting biomarkers just below the surface of the skin in real time and painlessly. The company recently received an initial funding round of US$8 million from Balderton Capital and Exor Ventures.

The microsensors devised by bioengineers Renato Circi and Rafael Michali from Imperial College London can painlessly detect molecules in the interstitial fluid beneath the skin and transmit the information directly to the user’s phone. They are an alternative to the traditional painful finger prick.

According to the International Diabetes Federation, 783 million people will have diabetes by 2024, or one in eight adults. People with diabetes depend on precise glucose monitoring to properly manage their condition. Hence the importance of technologies such as subcutaneous biomarkers, which guarantee continuous control, SAVA emphasises.

“With this, we will be able to combat preventable diseases based on a new system for monitoring health conditions. Our microsensors will revolutionise treatments by making advanced monitoring technologies available to everyone. With this injection of fresh capital, we can accelerate our efforts to create a new paradigm for health – preventive, personalised and painless,” says Renato Circi, co-founder of SAVA.

SAVA’s first microsensors will focus on continuous glucose monitoring in diabetes patients. The start-up recently received approval from the UK’s Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) to proceed with clinical trials in diabetes patients, which will help validate the technology on a larger scale. According to SAVA, the MHRA’s validation process is one of the most rigorous in the world, assessing the safety and performance of solutions, as well as clinical research.

However, glucose monitoring is just one of the applications. With a modular design, SAVA’s microsensors will in future be able to simultaneously monitor several classes of molecule. With this varied detection, it will be possible to analyse a wide range of conditions, from chronic ones to wellness patterns, drug use results to personalised therapies, among others.

This latest round of funding brings the amount raised by the London-based start-up to $13 million from venture capital firms, angel investors, the European Union and the UK government through Innovate UK. The funding will be used to expand SAVA’s team of more than 40 people, design the product line and demonstrate the platform’s clinical performance.

“SAVA’s mission is to take healthcare from a curative to a preventative level, guaranteeing people the ability to take control of their health conditions through easy access to real-time information. Countries’ current healthcare systems can’t meet the demand, and SAVA aims to help reduce this deficit by providing the fundamental architecture of a new biosensor ecosystem,” explains Rafael Michali, co-founder of the startup.

Market for continuous glucose monitoring sensors

The global market for continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) sensors is expected to grow significantly, from a value of US$ 3.6 billion in 2021 to US$ 11.7 billion by 2028. This represents a compound annual growth rate of 18 per cent, according to research by InsightAce Analytics.

As a chronic condition with increasing pandemic levels around the world, diabetes is driving the CGM sensor market, with further growth expected in the coming decades, the study points out. CGM systems present real-time glycaemia data, allowing patients to quickly reduce high blood sugar levels and make more informed decisions about meals, medication and physical activity.