A new glucose sensor will be tested in close cooperation with Graz University of Technology (TUG) and Medical University of Graz (MUG).
Graz, Austria. B. Braun Melsungen AG today opened its own development facility in Graz for the development and clinical testing of a new glucose sensor in close cooperation with Graz University of Technology (TUG) and Medical University of Graz (MUG). Christian Braun, Managing Director of B. Braun Austria, welcomed guests from the research and political communities at the opening ceremony for the new Graz site and emphasized the importance of knowledge transfer between industry and public research institutions. "We have a common goal, which is to improve therapies and make them safer and more efficient. By working together to implement our insights in everyday clinical practice, we can put them to use in the best possible way for patient health."
"B. Braun's expert systems for infusion therapy have opened up an important new strategic business area," said Dr. Torsten Dönhoff, Head of Marketing & Sales, Infusion Systems at B. Braun. The underlying vision is that infusion pumps would be supported in future by sensors that collect patient data in real time and input the data to the infusion system. The system would then use algorithms to make proposals for the next treatment step.
A competence cluster has established itself in Graz over many years which encompasses academic and industry institutions involved in sensor technology research. "Based on systematic clinical evaluation, B. Braun will put the new sensor-controlled expert systems on a firm footing from the start," said Dr. Martin Ellmerer, Head of the B. Braun development office in Graz, adding that Graz was the ideal location because of the existing close links between the research and clinical communities. "That is why B. Braun counts on long-term commitment here in particular and will initiate talks with Graz University of Technology this summer about the development of further sensors," Dr. Ellmerer went on to say. The development office currently has 12 employees. "The fact that B. Braun chose Styria as their location is a further demonstration of the region's standing as an internationally respected center of innovation. Healthcare technology has developed into a key strength in Styria over the past number of years," Dr. Christian Buchmann, provincial government member for business and innovation was pleased to note.
Glucose sensor reduces mortality in intensive care units
The optical glucose sensor to be developed in Graz is intended to reduce mortality and morbidity in intensive care units and shorten ICU lengths of stay. The strict blood glucose monitoring enabled by the sensor in combination with an insulin treatment protocol make this possible. The problem of high blood glucose is not limited to people with a history of diabetes. Hyperglycemia and insulin resistance are in fact very common in critically ill patients. In the current state of the art, monitoring has to be done by hand. This very time-intensive method also puts a huge responsibility on nursing staff because they usually have to determine the insulin dose by intuition and because strict blood glucose monitoring always comes with a risk of hypoglycemia.
