Cell Robotics Receives Patent Notice for Lasette Beam Profile

Cell Robotics International, Inc. announced that it has received Notice of Allowance from the US patent office for a new Lasette skin perforator patent. The patent will issue within the next few months.

The Lasette is a laser finger perforator that allows diabetics to sample their blood in a comparatively painless manner for glucose testing with a glucose meter. The patent addresses distributions of the laser energy within the spot where the laser intersects the skin. The multimode beam distributes the energy in a manner that produces a perforation large enough to yield adequate blood supply, but does not penetrate deeply enough to cause pain.

Cell Robotics' Lasette is the only laser-based medical device that has received clearance from the FDA for use in glucose testing by adults, including diabetics, in clinical settings. Cell Robotics has begun its U.S. marketing and sales campaign to introduce the Lasette to hospitals, clinics and doctors' offices around the world.

On March 30, 1998, Cell Robotics submitted data to the FDA requesting clearance for use of the Lasette for children to sample blood for glucose testing under professional supervision. This new submission contained data from a recent clinical study of juvenile diabetic patients from 5 to 17 years of age. Sixty-three percent of the participants felt no pain whatsoever and none of the participants felt as much pain as they did from using their conventional lancet.

Clinical trials are also underway to seek clearance for home-use blood sampling for glucose testing. Cell Robotics International plans to submit the results of this study to the FDA in the near future.