For the bionic pancreas to win FDA approval, it will need to prove that the novel aspects of the treatment are safe and effective. Recently, a team of researchers at the Massachusetts General Hospital Diabetes Center in Boston conducted a trial that focused exclusively on the automated delivery of glucagon to see if the treatment […]
There’s good news on the horizon for those who suffer from diabetes: a new technology that enables the creation of an artificial pancreas could replace your insulin shots and automatically regulate the body’s levels with nothing for you to worry about on your side.
There are several companies and groups of researchers racing to bring an artificial pancreas to market, be it one that automates insulin delivery or one that does this and provides glucagon, as well. One of the more intriguing entrants into this race is Bigfoot Biomedical, which grew out of a DIY artificial pancreas project created […]
ViaCyte, a leader in stem cell therapies for diabetes, is conducting this first human trial of its kind. And a husband/wife team is producing the first documentary of its kind. They are filming the trial results as they occur.
For context, this automated system controls blood glucose using CGM readings every five minutes, a mathematical algorithm, and pumps dosing insulin and glucagon. Right now the Bionic Pancreas is in the research phase, though the team has built an integrated system (iLet) expected to enter a pivotal trial in early 2017.
Chris Schuh, 64, considers herself lucky to be alive. The Type 1 diabetes community can consider Schuh, who has enjoyed a decade without insulin injections after undergoing an experimental treatment, a symbol of hope.
Dr. Melton’s research group attracted a great deal of excitement in 2014 when it published a way of producing large quantities of insulin-producing cells from human stem cells. These cells successfully normalized blood glucose when implanted in rodents, but only those without a functioning immune system.
While we will not see a true artificial pancreas (AP) – a closed-loop insulin pump and continuous glucose monitoring system – come to market in 2016, we are so close we can artificially taste it.
Final tests to measure the safety and efficacy of an artificial pancreas are set to take place in early 2016, according to researchers from the University of Virginia Health System.
Researchers in the UK found that an experimental closed-loop artificial pancreas system did better than humans alone at managing Type 1 diabetes, according to a Reuters report. The closed-loop software, which could be turned on and off at will, included a glucose sensor and insulin pump that sent wireless signals every 12 minutes to adjust […]
“As a concept, it doesn’t get a whole lot better than this,” says Dr. John Buse, co-senior author of the results of a study on the patch published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences and the director of the UNC Diabetes Care Center. “As a physician, I admit, I was stunned by […]
The diabetes industry comes out en force and it was exciting to see many newsworthy announcements at a conference with so much direct access to people in the D-Community. Here’s what we captured our attention the most, from both the exhibit hall floor and the presentation sessions.
As we come closer to having an artificial pancreas on the market, there has been a lively debate about what an artificial pancreas should be. The discussion largely centers around whether an artificial pancreas pump should be single-chamber, meaning that it delivers insulin only, or dual-chamber, meaning it would deliver insulin and glucagon.
Kelly Close, a noted diabetes advocate and author, used to be last in line to embrace new diabetes technology. In fact, the only reason she even went on insulin pump therapy at all was because her boss requested it. Speaking at the ADA Scientific Sessions in Boston, Close says she was having trouble at her […]
Every person who uses insulin to manage diabetes wants what they don’t have — a replacement for their malfunctioning pancreas. And though the technology isn’t yet to the point of creating an artificial pancreas, it’s getting a lot closer.
In the world’s first clinical trial that compared three alternative treatments for type 1 diabetes, the external artificial pancreas was shown to improve glucose control and reduce risk for hypoglycemia when compared to conventional diabetes treatment.
The world’s first clinical trial to compare three ways of delivering insulin to control glucose levels in patients with type 1 diabetes concludes that two versions of an artificial pancreas do a better job than conventional pump therapy. The results could have significant implications for the treatment of type 1 diabetes.
Researchers at the Harvard Stem Cell Institute have found what looks like a way (still to be proven!) to generate large quantities of human insulin-producing cells from stem cells. If developed further, this cell source could accelerate diabetes drug development and lead to game-changing therapies for type 1 and type 2 diabetes.
Recently, news swept the world that Harvard scientist Dr. Douglas Melton and his team have developed a lab technique that can transform not-fully-developed human stem cells into billions of new insulin-producing beta cells. What does this mean? Is this a cure? What are the next steps? How do I get my new beta cells? How […]
sraeli Beta-O2, a company just coming out of stealth mode, announced that its ßAir bio-artificial pancreas will be put through a clinical trial thanks to a grant from the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF).