Apple may be able to bring noninvasive and continuous blood glucose monitoring technology to market after the secret project — which has been in the works for over a decade — hit some major milestones, Mark Gurman reports for Bloomberg.

Inside Apple's secret project

The project, known as E5, began in 2010 after Apple co-founder Steve Jobs directed the company to purchase RareLight, which touted a new approach to noninvasive blood glucose monitoring.

The goal of the project is to measure the amount of glucose in someone's body without having to prick their skin for blood. To do this, Apple uses a chip technology called silicon photonics alongside a measurement process called optical absorption spectroscopy.

According to people familiar with the matter, the technology uses lasers to emit certain wavelengths of light into an area below the skin where interstitial fluid can be absorbed by glucose. That light is then reflected back to the sensor to indicate the concentration of glucose. Then, an algorithm determines the person's blood glucose level.

Over the past decade, Apple has tested the technology on hundreds of people, Gurman reports. In human trials, it's used the technology on people who don't know if they're diabetic, people with prediabetes, and people with Type 2 diabetes. Apple then compared its technology to tests on blood drawn from veins as well as samples taken from a prick in the skin.

One goal of the project is to develop a preventive measure that can warn a person if they're prediabetic, which could allow them to make a lifestyle change and avoid Type 2 diabetes, Gurman reports. Apple's regulatory team has held early discussions about receiving government approval for the technology.

According to people familiar with the project, the system is now considered to be at the proof-of-concept stage. Apple believes the technology is viable but that it needs to be shrunk down to a smaller size.

Engineers are working to develop a prototype device that would be around the size of an iPhone that a person can strap to their bicep, a notable reduction from the size of an early version of the technology which sat on top of a table. The ultimate goal is to add the monitoring system to the Apple Watch, Gurman reports.

According to people familiar with the project, Apple CEO Tim Cook, COO Jeff Williams, and Apple Watch hardware head Eugene Kim are all involved with the project, which has already cost hundreds of millions of dollars. (Gurman, Bloomberg, 2/22)