Click Here
Diabetes Mall Logo

Meters & Monitors


Blood Glucose Meters Next Current Continuous Monitors Next Comparison of Available Monitors Next
Various Future Monitors Next Improving Today's Meters Next Other Monitors Next Older Monitors

Other Monitors

Diagnoptics Next SenseWear

DiagnOptics

The AGE Reader Components

The AGE Reader
by DiagnOptics

DiagnOptics is the inventor of a diagnostic device that can non-invasively diagnose one form of damage caused by high glucose levels and relate this to the risk of diabetes and its complications. Headquarted in the Netherlands. Dr. Andries J. Smit and his co-workers found increased autofluorescence of the skin in many diabetes patients when they were performing fluorescein capillary leakage studies in diabetes. By 1998, they had developed the Advanced Glycation Endproducts (AGE) Reader™, a state of the art diagnostic device which can determine the tissue accumulation of AGEs in about 30 seconds. AGEs contain permanent glucose crosslinks between a wide variety of protein structures, such as skin, collagen, tendons, vessel walls, and hemoglobins. Hemoglobin A1c is an AGE that is commonly measured in the blood.

Dr. Smith began the first clinical studies in diabetes and renal failure at the University Hospital in Groningen. After filing the patent application for the AGE Reader™ in 1999, DiagnOptics was established in 2003 and CE certification for the AGE Reader™ was received in 2006. Currently the company is working on obtaining additional regulatory approvals in other regions and is engaged in new product development activities.

About A.G.E. (Advanced Glycation Endproducts)

AGEs are key players in glycemic and oxidative stress, and have been shown to be an important indicator of many age-related diseases, such as atherosclerosis, diabetes, renal failure and Alzheimer. The amount of AGEs in tissue serves as an important risk predictor of diabetes and its complications.

AGEs normally accumulate with ageing, but this process occurs more rapidly when glucose levels rise and in renal failure. The accumulation of AGEs can initiate a wide range of abnormal responses in cells and tissues such as an increased burden of death and diseases of heart and blood vessels. Skin AGE's, determined in skin tissue samples, correlate closely with early kidney, eye and nerve disease in patients with diabetes.

AGE Reader Technology

Prior to development of the AGE Reader, it had been complicated to measure tissue AGEs because existing methods were expensive, time consuming, lack specificity, are poorly reproducible and/or are invasive. Although there is currently no gold standard for AGEs measurements, the AGE Reader™ is the only diagnostic device that non-invasively diagnoses and assesses the risk of diabetes and its cardiovascular, nephrological and neurological complications through measuring tissue accumulation of AGEs. It provides information so the physician can focus treatment on patients with the highest risk of complications.

A light source excites fluorescent moieties in the tissue of interest which then emits light of a different wavelength. In the wavelength band that is used, the major contribution in fluorescence comes from fluorescent AGEs linked mostly to collagen, but also to other proteins and lipids. The emitted light is detected using a spectrometer. By using specific technical adaptations including selection of specific wavelength, modulated or pulsed light sources, a more selective discrimination of specific AGEs can be obtained.

The AGE Reader Components
The AGE Reader™ system consists of the following components:

  • Main housing
  • Rubber mat
  • Power cord
  • USB cable
  • Software

For more information, contact DiagnOptics.

Click Here to browse our secure, on-line store for a complete selection of diabetes books at 22%-50% off their cover price. You can also download our Diabetes Mall 2008 Catalog, email our Order Form, or call us at (800) 988-4772.

Back to Top top