London-based Sava Technologies has secured $36 million to develop a new type of continuous glucose monitor with sensors ten times shorter than those used today. With promising early results and a major diabetes company behind it, could this be the alternative people with type 1 diabetes have been waiting for?
A British company is developing something rather different, and it has attracted the attention, and money, of one of the established names in diabetes care.
London-based Sava Technologies announced on 9 October 2026 that it had raised $36 million (approximately £27 million) to develop its next-generation continuous glucose monitoring system. The investment was led by Ascensia Diabetes Care, best known for its CONTOUR blood glucose meters, which has also secured exclusive rights to commercialise and distribute Sava's technology, initially across Europe.
What makes Sava's sensors different?
Unlike conventional CGMs, which use a thin filament inserted 5-10mm beneath the skin to measure interstitial fluid, Sava is developing an array of tiny microsensors approximately ten times shorter. Sava's microsensors penetrate much less deeply but are designed to measure glucose from the same fluid.
That could potentially make wearing a sensor more comfortable, although it is worth remembering that the actual filament is only one part of the experience.
For many people, the problems aren't necessarily caused by the filament itself. It is the adhesive, skin reactions, application process or simply having something permanently attached to the body. A smaller, shallower sensor might sound appealing, but it won't necessarily prevent it catching on clothes, being knocked against a doorframe or coming loose in the swimming pool.
Although there have been some references about Sava’s CGM as being 'needle-free', it is not a completely non-invasive glucose monitor. The microsensors still penetrate the skin, although much less deeply than existing sensor filaments.
If Sava can demonstrate that this reduces discomfort and skin irritation without compromising accuracy, it could address some of the major concerns that current CGM medtech companies aren’t and provide a real alternative.
Tested on 46 PWD — What did the results show?
In February 2026, Sava announced results from a UK clinical study involving 46 people with type 1 or insulin-treated type 2 diabetes, conducted at sites in Oxford and Cambridge.
Participants wore Sava's experimental sensor alongside an existing commercial CGM for ten days. Both devices were compared against a laboratory glucose reference, allowing researchers to assess how closely their readings matched.
Sava reported that the difference in accuracy between its microsensor and the commercial CGM was approximately 0.8 percentage points, measured using MARD (Mean Absolute Relative Difference).
Lower MARD percentages generally indicate greater accuracy ie. readings closer to the reference measurements. Sava also reported that accuracy deteriorated by only around 1.5 percentage points across the ten-day study.
Consistency over several days is particularly important and is often a significant challenge for microsensor technologies.
However, Sava has not disclosed the actual MARD achieved by its device or named the commercial CGM used for comparison. Knowing that the difference was just 0.8 percentage points does not tell us exactly how accurate Sava's sensor was, or whether it performed better or worse than its competitor.
It’s also notable that the findings have also been communicated through company announcements rather than a publicly available, peer-reviewed clinical paper containing the full results.
And for anyone depending on CGM readings to calculate insulin doses, accuracy is about much more than an average percentage:
· How quickly does the sensor detect falling glucose?
· Does it produce false overnight lows?
· Can it reliably warn of hypoglycaemia before we reach dangerous levels?
These are questions that can't yet be answered from the information Sava has published.
Another CGM is welcome — But what about reliability?
If a medtech company really wants to know how to make a difference to those managing diabetes, you only need to look over online forums to see that reliability is the number 1 issue. Users want a sensor that performs predictably, providing accurate glucose readings they can trust from the moment it is activated until the end of its full wear period, without falling off, failing prematurely, producing inexplicable readings or crazy alarms going off.
Sava’s successful 10-day clinical trial doesn't establish how often Sava's sensors will fail prematurely, how they perform during exercise or whether they suffer from compression-related false lows when sleeping.
And we don’t yet know enough about the finished device's alarms, smartphone connectivity, adhesive performance or integration with insulin pumps and hybrid closed-loop systems- crucial when providing information that directly influences insulin delivery.
A new CGM system might be smaller and more comfortable, but if it cannot communicate with existing pumps, it could be a step backwards for some users.
Sava will need to demonstrate not just that its technology works, but that the complete product can meet the expectations of those in the diabetes community whose lived-experience of using CGMs spans many years.
Who is behind Sava — and why Is Ascensia investing?
Sava was founded in London in 2019 by biomedical engineers Renato Circi and Rafaël Michali, who studied at Imperial College London. The company has attracted substantial investment over several funding rounds, with the latest $36 million bringing its total funding to approximately $68 million.
Its newest investor, Ascensia Diabetes Care, is part of Japan's PHC Group and has a well-established international diabetes business. It manufactures the CONTOUR blood glucose monitoring range and has previously been involved in commercialising the Eversense implantable CGM developed by Senseonics.
Ascensia is therefore no stranger to the difficulties of competing in a market dominated by Abbott and Dexcom.
The arrangement with Sava goes beyond providing development funding. Ascensia has secured exclusive commercialisation and distribution rights, initially in Europe, giving it a potentially important role in determining how the device reaches healthcare providers and patients.
From Sava's perspective, that offers access to an established sales and distribution network. From Ascensia's perspective, it provides an opportunity to participate in a new CGM technology without developing the underlying microsensors itself.
Will Sava be available on the NHS?
Sava and Ascensia are aiming for regulatory approval and commercialisation within 18–24 months of their October 2026 announcement, potentially bringing the product to the European market in 2028.
The companies are targeting approval for non-adjunctive use, meaning glucose readings could be used for treatment decisions without routinely requiring confirmation from a finger-prick test.
That would put Sava in a position to compete with established CGMs, like FreeStyle Libre and Dexcom’s G7, provided the technology meets the necessary clinical and regulatory requirements.
However, the device is still investigational. There is no confirmed UK approval, NHS prescription availability, NHS price or launch date.
And NHS access is a separate hurdle from regulatory approval. Existing CGMs already have established prescribing arrangements, supply chains and considerable evidence supporting their use. Sava would have to demonstrate not only clinical performance but also that it represents a worthwhile option for the NHS, with cost being a very important factor.
If its shorter microsensors are significantly more expensive to manufacture, or if the finished device costs substantially more than existing alternatives, widespread NHS adoption could prove difficult.
For people who have limited choice over which CGM they receive on prescription, another approved sensor will only represent genuine competition if it actually becomes accessible.
How far do Sava’s plans go for health monitoring?
One particularly interesting aspect of Sava's technology is that glucose monitoring may only be the beginning.
The company is developing its microsensor platform to measure other substances within interstitial fluid, potentially allowing one wearable device to monitor several different biological markers.
For people with type 1 diabetes, continuous ketone monitoring alongside glucose could be especially valuable. Ketones can rise when the body lacks sufficient insulin, including during illness or insulin delivery failures, and dangerously elevated levels can precede diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA).
A reliable system capable of detecting changes in both glucose and ketones could potentially provide additional warnings, although the relationship between interstitial measurements and clinically actionable blood ketone levels would need rigorous testing.
Sava has not yet demonstrated an approved combined glucose-and-ketone monitor, and the possibilities for other biomarkers remain largely developmental. Nevertheless, the technology may ultimately prove interesting beyond simply making another glucose sensor.
What about AI and patient data?
Sava will also be entering a market where the use of artificial intelligence (AI) and personal health data has become increasingly contentious. The recent backlash against Dexcom's updated terms and conditions, which introduced provisions concerning AI, prompted hundreds of angry comments across social media, with some posts attracting thousands of reactions. Many people with diabetes were particularly forceful in opposing AI involvement in their medical technology and questioning how their personal data might be used.
For Sava, another new entrant to the CGM market, transparency about data collection, AI and patient consent could prove just as important in winning trust as the performance of its sensors.
A British challenger worth watching
There is plenty to welcome about Sava's progress. A British company has developed a different approach to glucose monitoring, tested it in people with diabetes and attracted enough investment to move towards larger clinical trials and eventual commercialisation.
We should also welcome competition in a market where a relatively small number of manufacturers influence the technology available to millions of people.
Another CGM announcement is not automatically a breakthrough. Much depends on full accuracy data, particularly during hypoglycaemia, evidence on premature sensor failure, a comfortable and durable finished product, and clarity about compatibility with the insulin delivery systems we already depend upon.
Sava may have found a better way to measure glucose beneath the skin, but it has yet to demonstrate that this means a better experience for the person wearing the sensor.
And ultimately, that is the test that counts. Not how much investment a company attracts, how small its micro sensors are or how ambitious its commercial plans sound, but whether its technology makes the everyday demands of living with type 1 diabetes a little easier.
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