—The disposable patch device would be small enough to enable use of wearable artificial pancreas technology on a child—

NEW YORK, USA and SEOUL, South Korea, January 25, 2017 — JDRF, the global leading organization funding type 1 diabetes (T1D) research, is pleased to announce a new Industry Development and Discovery Partnership supporting South Korea’s EOFlow Co., Ltd. in the development of a wearable, disposable automated insulin delivery patch device for people with T1D.

EOFlow recently received Korean Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) approval on its wearable insulin pump system, EOPatch. The product incorporates a proprietary electroosmotic pumping technology which allows it to be smaller and lighter and the company plans to build on this  strength to create a small, light and wearable automated insulin delivery device suitable for children’s use.

“JDRF is working hard to reduce the burden of living with type 1 diabetes while we search for ways to cure this disease,” said Jaime Giraldo, Ph.D., JDRF Research Scientist. “Innovation in automated insulin delivery devices and artificial pancreas (AP) systems will help to significantly improve health and quality of life for people with T1D. Next-generation wearable designs that are smaller and employ user-centric design will remove barriers that prevent some people, especially small children, from using these life-saving and life-changing glucose management devices.”

“We are very excited that EOFlow is partnering with the world’s leading private nonprofit funder of T1D research to accelerate the development of this wearable automated insulin delivery system. JDRF is a partner that believes in our vision of a small, practical, fully functional artificial pancreas system that can be used by anyone with T1D to help live a fuller life,” said EOFlow Chief Executive Officer Jesse Kim.

EOFlow will use the funding to develop and run clinical studies on the wearable device, which consists of an insulin pump and an integrated continuous glucose sensor, which is run by a closed-loop program that autonomously regulates the blood glucose level with minimal user input. This is the first time JDRF is granting funds to EOFlow for research and is also the first time that JDRF is funding a company in Korea.

Since JDRF launched the Artificial Pancreas Project more than a decade ago, significant progress has been made in automating insulin delivery. However, a major factor when considering AP therapy is that the system becomes a major part of the life of a person with T1D. Currently, AP system hardware is bulky and either in direct contact, tethered to, or in very close proximity to the body, which may be barriers to the subsequent widescale adoption of AP systems. This factor is especially compounded in children, where skin real estate is at a premium. JDRF wishes to reduce obstacles preventing AP system use for people with diabetes, in part by reducing on-body burden. In addition, now that AP systems have been consistently demonstrating sufficient safety and efficacy, user centric design is becoming an important consideration to be addressed in next-generation AP systems. These ease-of-use factors include minimizing the number of steps to fill, replace and install AP system components; integrating various AP system components into a single device to reduce the burden of managing disparate components at different intervals; and the size of the wearable devices.

About JDRF
JDRF is the leading global organization funding type 1 diabetes (T1D) research. Our mission is to accelerate life-changing breakthroughs to cure, prevent and treat T1D and its complications. To accomplish this, JDRF has invested more than $2 billion in research funding since our inception. We are an organization built on a grassroots model of people connecting in their local communities, collaborating regionally for efficiency and broader fundraising impact, and uniting on a national stage to pool resources, passion, and energy. We collaborate with academic institutions, policymakers, and corporate and industry partners to develop and deliver a pipeline of innovative therapies to people living with T1D. Our staff and volunteers throughout the United States and our six international affiliates are dedicated to advocacy, community engagement and our vision of a world without T1D. For more information, please visit jdrf.org or follow us on Twitter: @JDRF.

About EOFlow Inc. 
EOFlow is a Korea based wearable medical device company founded in 2011, developing several innovative drug delivery systems based on its proprietary electro-osmosis pumping technology. The Company’s first product is EOPatch, the world’s lightest and safest fully functional wearable, disposable insulin pump for people with diabetes. For more information please visit us at www.eoflow.com or follow us on Twitter: @EOPatch.

Media Contact:

Kristy Evans
JDRF Manager, Public Relations & Communications
212-859-7877
kevans@jdrf.org