Big news! JDRF has announced a groundreaking partnership with Animas to develop a first generation artificial pancreas system.
Learn more at: http://www.jdrf.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=home.viewPage&page_id=2458B97B-1279-CFD5-A70D0580F67A16A9
Awesome! Thanks for the heads up. I'm always interested in the latest and greatest.
All the articles I have read do not state how exactly insulin is put into this machine... is there a port on your skin and you refill yourself like fueling a car? Is it a full blown surgery to put the machine in your body? It almost sounds too good to be true if it does come to life. In reality, it sounds to me like a CGM + Insulin Pump + complicated formula processed in on-board computer and we have 2 out of 3 available to us so far. I guess we'll just have to wait and see...
I just read the article and what i got from it is that its not something thats surgically put in you like a pancreas, its an insulin pump and works the same way with tubing etc.. and a CGM together and since your blood sugar is always being read the pump which is more sophisticated acts accordingly without you doing anything.. its towards the bottom of the article :)
[quote user="Casey Creutz"]In reality, it sounds to me like a CGM + Insulin Pump + complicated formula processed in on-board computer [/quote]
That's exactly what it is. There will not be anything implanted - it will look similar to what you have today with a pump & a CGM (maybe down to one device and one site? I don't know), but it will be the first automated system to manage diabetes, delivering insulin if it senses blood glucose moving too high…or stopping insulin delivery if it detects blood sugar is going too low.
Things to think about... current insulins (even our fast acting) are too slow to act even at 15 minutes and stay active in the body too long. We also have meters & CGMs (that are still 1st generation) that are not 100% accurate - that needs to be improved.
Lots of work to do, but this partnership will hopefully help it keep moving forward and keep the development going to hit milestones to get it in our hands.
There's a lot of information about this exciting news as well on JDRF's Artificial Pancreas web site. It's definitely worth checking out: http://www.artificialpancreasproject.com/
The key point about this announcement that I wrote about on my diabetes blog today is that this is a COLLABORATION between industry and a non-profit. This is a groundbreaking type of partnership to get the technology quickly to people with diabetes. As we all keep saying, TOGETHER we will find a cure.
Fantastic News !!! Great to hear this--Can not say Thank You enough for uplifting Information like this :)
have you guys heard of "smart" insulin?
you take an injection once a day of insulin. in one shot, you would take the insulin you normally consume in a day (for me that would be roughly 100u). the insulin is then only activated in the body as it needs it. for example, the insulin is released when it senses your blood sugar rising. and stays inactive when your blood sugars are dropping.
i don't have a link for it, but i was able to find it in JDRF once. i couldn't tell you the mechanism of how it works, but sounds interesting to me... assuming it works.
i'm all for an artificial pancreas though, too. that would be my preference actually. :o)
"Smart" insulin sounds so cool! I don't understand how it works but if it is ever approved, it sounds like it would be close to a cure!
This to me sounds like the coolest thing going if they can get it to work. Would beat being hooked up to a computer for the rest of your life. I work with computers. i don't really trust them!
Smart insulin sounds good too !
wow smart insulin is the only thing that i have heard in like the past 10 years that truly excites me! I personally wouldnt even use the artificial pancreas, i know it sounds crazy but its a superior advanced pump and im still anti having machines and tubing attached to me but smart insulin sounds amazing!
thanks 4 the link :)