Of Fantasy Diabetes Devices, Sheldon & Dewy

Victoria’s Secrets holiday runway special has past, football is winding down so maybe we need some new fantasy league to talk about. How about insulin pumps? 

I had a fascinating conversation with Greg from Medtronic at CWD’s Friends For Life last summer on the topic of what would be my fantasy pump. A plausible device, that is one based on current technology, insulins etc.. I would say that a full artificial pancreas is beyond that scope but only a little. 

Yes it takes a particular lack of a real life to have fascinating conversations about fantasy pumps. You can call me Sheldon if you must. It turns out for me the fantasy isn’t a pump, and so the talk expanded out to a fantasy diabetes management system. Greg asked if I thought FDA would approve my fantasy devices. I allowed as how they  probably wouldn’t but industry would probably wouldn't make it either.

Meet DEWY, he's a winner. 

I think the tools available to manage diabetes are fairly good. I think there is a significant opportunity for better diabetes care through breaking down the technological towers of Babble that separate devices from each other and our lives. My fantasy device would be a common collection point for diabetes information in a way that would facilitate managing lives with diabetes not just adjusting parts of those lives. 

Our meters, pumps, CGMs need to talk together and work through a common Diabetes User Interface. A D.U.I. 

WAIT! We can’t call it D.U.I.! That’s been used. 

How about DEWY for ah.. um.. er.. Diabetes Equipment Works for You.   

Dewy’s job is to listen for information from devices and lives. Then to integrate that into a possible responses. Dewy should work for us, patients, in our lives. Dewy should try to accommodate our individual life styles not define them. 

Dewy should help out with the basics. If we are low or high Dewy needs the wizard logic already in pumps to help calculate corrections or carbs based on our particular insulin and carb sensitivity. Dewy should have access to food databases with the ability to create a meal list in a way that approaches the ease of use of making play lists in iTunes. Drop and drag foods into a meal, easily adjust quantities of food in a meal, calculate carbs and even make note of fat, fiber and protein. Parents will want to be able to store these 'cause kids eat the same meal over and over again, by choice. Dewy should be able to help adjust boluses based on all of that but like any good friend of a diabetic not be too pushy about it. 

Dewy could even help out tracking trends. He could gently mention times of the day that he sees spikes. He could pay attention to our post workout BGs and see if there are trends worthy of note. Along the same lines Dewy could even try to pay attention to two hour post meal BGs and make suggestions about I:C rates. He could look for between bolus times when basals are responsible for what happening with BG and point out trends. 

Dewy would scream bloody murder if he ever sees serious overnight lows. He would turn off basals and wake up everyone and anyone we say with phone calls and text messages and keep at it until we tell him it is OK. That is just the kinda guy Dewy is.

Some folks like patch pumps, some traditional pumps and some folks like shots. To accommodate those life styles choices Dewy should be independent of device manufacturers. That is Dewy should be able to accommodate what ever meter, pump or cgm an individual chooses. Dewy should be smart and tag along with us patients where  we do our living, so he will need to reside on the smart phone or device of our choice. 

Dewy isn’t an artificial pancreas, not that he wouldn't be willing to work with one. An AP tries to be a pancreas. AP wouldn't care what you ate or if you worked out. Dewy being a really good diabetes assistant would, if we wanted him to, track what we eat or how our workouts impact our lives. 

Dewy would talk wirelessly to devices; pumps, meters, CGMs. He would do this securely and let us know if he is in touch or lost connection to devices. He would be the universal remote to the show that is our diabetes lives. When we change to a device that woks better in our life, Dewy could cope. He would have simple friendly ways to enter shots, exercise, and daily, weekly and monthly cycles. He would let us invent variables of our own because, well, our diabetes many vary. 

Until there are artificial pancreases, smart insulins, encapsulated implantable functioning beta cells and the cure that reverses the autoimmune glitch that causes type 1 diabetes families will need to manage diabetes. Managing diabetes will requires multiple devices to measure and adjust blood glucose but wouldn’t be cool if they all played nice? 

Well that’s my crazed fantasy pump. This got me wondering what others would see as a fantasy diabetes device? What is yours?


More YDMV musings on data here:
Do You Do It? (Download?)

Accu-Chek Nano FDA Approved.

Roche announced that they have FDA approval for the NANO in the US.

Innovative, small, no code device will be available to people with diabetes in the U.S. in first half of 2012
Roche (SIX: RO, ROG; OTCQX: RHHBY) announced today that it has received clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for its Accu-Chek® Nano SmartView blood glucose monitoring system. The new Accu-Chek Nano meter, which is smaller than a standard credit card, employs a large brilliant backlit display and does not require any manual coding or code key for enhanced ease of use. It also offers improved functions such as customizable test reminders, pre- and postmeal markers and average glucose calculation. The Accu-Chek Nano meter uses Accu-Chek® SmartView test strips and will be available to customers in the first half of 2012. 

Our pals across the pond did a review of the Nano a while back: http://www.shootuporputup.co.uk/2009/06/review-roche-accu-chek-aviva-nano/

Required Reading - JDRF on GRI in Countdown

Back in September JDRF Launched a prize to encourage people outside of diabetes research to join the hunt for a Glucose Responsive Insulin (GRI.) I wrote briefly about it in the post Know a Smart Chemist? JDRF's current edition of Countdown, their online magazine has a great story with more information about GRI and the JDRF initiative.

This is a fascinating approach to living with type 1. It is not a cure in the pure sense but if they can find ways to make Glucose Responsive Insulin work it is a Game Changer. In fact The Game Changer is the title of the piece and because of that potential, years down the way, the articles gets my vote for this weeks reading assignment.

The Game Changer: Treating type 1 diabetes with glucose-responsive insulins.
http://countdown.jdrf.org/Features.aspx?id=8589934727

JDRF IDDP with KalVista Pharmaceuticals

From the News Wire:

KalVista Pharmaceuticals and JDRF form research partnership focused on novel approach for treating diabetic eye disease 

Southampton, UK and New York, USA 09 January 2012 - KalVista Pharmaceuticals ("KalVista") and JDRF have formed a research partnership focused on a novel approach being developed by KalVista to preserve vision and slow the progression of diabetic eye disease. Diabetic eye disease is one of the most common and most serious complications in people with type 1 diabetes (T1D). JDRF will provide up to $2.2 million in milestone-based financial support and research expertise to KalVista. The goal of this partnership is to advance KalVista's lead pre-clinical candidate, a plasma kallikrein inhibitor, into human proof-of-concept clinical trials and to generate clinical data that would highlight its potential as an entirely new approach to treat diabetic macular edema (DME). DME is a leading cause of visual loss for people with T1D that involves swelling of the retina, which can lead to blurred vision and blindness.  More: http://www.jdrf.org/index.cfm?page_id=116775

#DSMA Makeover & an Easy Resloution #TwoBits

Here is a quick #TwoBits* from around the DOC.

#DSMA’s New Years New Look: The web site has been overhauled and sports a more user friendly interface. Included in the more friendly part is a menu link to the weekly Wednesday night party that is #dsma chat. More on how to join that party can be found in this post.

Carey Potash my favorite blogger at dLife writes about the Medtronic mySentry, its costs and dreaming of a lost poodle. If Carey isn’t in your RSS feed adding him is a great New Years resolution. You will thank me I’m sure. 

*If you see an interesting pair of posts around the Diabetes Online Community (DOC) how about sharing them with the rest of us with the hash tag #TwoBits in case others missed them?

#dsma Makeover & an Easy resloution #TwoBits

Here is a quick #TwoBits* from around the DOC.

#DSMA’s New Years New Look: The web site has been overhauled and sports a more user friendly interface. Included in the more friendly part is a menu link to the weekly Wednesday night party that is #dsma chat. More on how to join that party can be found in this post.

Carey Potash my favorite blogger at dLife writes about the Medtronic mySentry, its costs and dreaming of a lost poodle. If Carey isn’t in your RSS feed adding him is a great New Years resolution. You will thank me I’m sure. 

*If you see an interesting pair of posts around the Diabetes Online Community (DOC) how about sharing them with the rest of us with the hash tag #TwoBits in case others missed them?

Happy New Lancet and Butterfly Pod People #TwoBits

Here is a quick #TwoBits* from around the DOC.

First Happy New Lancet form our pals across the pond at Shoot Up or Put Up who say;

"Happy New Lancet to all our readers, Please join us in cracking open a brand new shiny lancet in celebration of the new year."

Leighann has a post reporting that Butterfly strips are now approved for the OmniPod so Happy New Strips to the Pod People.

*If you see an interesting pair of posts around the Diabetes Online Community (DOC) how about sharing them with the rest of us with the hash tag #TwoBits in case others missed them?

Of Diabetes, The Lion King and Paying It Forward

At our most recent Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) Parent Network meeting there was a newly diagnosed mom having a tough time. Diabetes is hard. Having a child diagnosed is devastating. Truth be told at every meeting, everywhere, there is almost always a family in the emotional deluge of a recent diagnosis.  

Why us, why now, we don’t know what to do.

Our family has been there. Twice. The second diagnosiwas no easier even with the skills to manage it. Maybe because we had the skills and experience and knew more clearly what a diagnosis meant.

That’s the deal with a diagnosis like diabetes. As I become closer to people living with other chronic conditions I learn that the flood of emotions associated with diabetes isn’t unique. A lot of my e-patient friends with other conditions to manage share similar stories. Many also share the value they have found in patent communities. There is a common theme of receiving much needed support from communities and ultimately providing. 

So climb up on Pride Rock and queue the music, that is part of the circle of support. Sometimes I wonder who is doing more for who in that process. Sure the newbie needs a shoulder to cry on. Still I think there are those with experience also have a deep need to offer that shoulder. The truly gifted turn the circle a little farther. The make their chronic condition valuable and see it as an ability.

I read this on the Facebook page of Glu*, It was written by Jen Block, “I consider diabetes to be an asset. Its presence in my life has brought many challenges, but with each challenge I face, I emerge a little stronger.” She is a 15 year veteran so she isn’t all pollyanna and goes on to add, “Don’t get me wrong this is a challenging disease and I have no idea of the challenges you face in managing diabetes; but I do know you are all incredible people.”

In there is a rock solid answer to, why us, why now, we don’t know what to do. Because you can be better for all the challenges you will face. You can be a little stronger and that is incredible. 




*Glu (myglu.org) is a T1D community launching this spring. I have been having fun with the beta.   

Medtronic Remote CGM Monitor Approved

Medtronic announced that the FDA has approved the mySentry(TM) remote CGM monitor. It is a second screen that allows a parent to remotely see CGM data. Here's a picture from the Medtronic Blog where you can also find more information about the thing. The full press release is here.

Version of something like this have been seen and talked about for years. It is great to see that Medtronic and the FDA managed to find a way to make patient information more available. For parents this has significant value. Particularly over night. Imagine checking BG without getting out of bed. 

Here's a Youtube bit by Medtronic about it:

Happy New Year.  

#TwoBits - A List and Lyrical Word @Ninjabetic @DMomBlog

Leighann over at D-Mom has a list of words for 2012. While I am a fan of the last item on her list as the word for diabetes in 2012. I think the one I’ll vote for in the DOC caucus this January is one not in the list but in her introduction, Second. It also is part of teh title of her upcoming book Kids First, Diabetes Second.

Meanwhile George is Looking Somewhere and offers up a lyrical reelection on 2011 and anticipation of 2012. The Ninja is should be the DOC's poet laureate.