glucose control

Treatments that continually monitor the body's blood sugar levels and automatically respond with the correct dose of insulin would significantly enhance metabolic control. JDRF research is focused on demonstrating that advanced monitoring tools improves the health of people with diabetes, and on developing technologies that link insulin pumps and continuous glucose monitors. Such a "closed loop" system would, in effect, be an artificial pancreas.

Glucose Control: Recent Key Advances, Spring 2009

JDRF Funds Development of New Insulin
JDRF has entered a partnership with the company SmartCells, Inc., to advance the development of its SmartInsulin, an insulin that is administered just once a day and that is self-regulating (i.e., after it is injected, the insulin is released over time in response to the body's glucose levels.) Unlike currently available insulins, SmartInsulin is designed to maintain continuous tight control of blood glucose levels while reducing the risk of hypoglycemia - like the pancreas does automatically in people without type 1 diabetes. JDRF is providing $1 million in funding to support safety and efficacy trials of SmartInsulin, with the goal of accelerating its development and reducing the time needed to progress to human testing. The grant is part of JDRF's innovative Industry Discovery and Development Partnership Program, which supports companies developing treatments and technologies for type 1 diabetes and its complications.

What this may mean for people with type 1 diabetes: SmartInsulin could mark a significant improvement in treating diabetes - by requiring fewer injections and less glucose monitoring while reducing the incidence of hypoglycemia.

JDRF's Continuous Glucose Monitor Study Named a "Top Ten" Medical Breakthrough in 2008
JDRF's groundbreaking human clinical trial of continuous glucose monitors (CGM) was cited by ABC News as one of the top 10 medical breakthroughs of 2008. The JDRF CGM trial was the first major, multi-center trial to document the benefits of CGM devices in helping people with type 1 diabetes better control blood sugar levels and reduce the risk of devastating complications. The CGM devices, manufactured by several companies and approved by the FDA as an adjunctive therapy for diabetes, are small monitors connected to a sensor that are worn by people with diabetes. They provide both a real-time snapshot of glucose levels as well as trend information on whether glucose is moving upwards or downwards, and how fast. The devices also provide warnings when the glucose is becoming too high or too low.

What this may mean for people with type 1 diabetes: This study represents an important step forward in JDRF's drive to develop an artificial pancreas because it shows the benefit of using CGMs to control blood sugar. CGMs are a key component of the artificial pancreas, along with insulin pumps and algorithms, sophisticated computer programs to connect the two devices.

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