JDRF, Animas & Dexcom Artificial Pancreas development Pact

badshoe · #1 01-13-2010, 10:40 AM

News from a Kerri Twitter:

http://www.prnewswire.com/news-relea...-81323767.html

zimbie45 · #2 01-13-2010, 10:48 AM

http://www.jdrf.org/index.cfm?fuseac...0D0580F67A16A9

jeff just posted this in general too !!! WAY TOO COOL.. we are getting closer adn closer every day!

BrokenPancreas · #3 01-13-2010, 10:53 AM

That is great, so is Dr. Faustman and Smart Insulin.
Everything is always "years away" though

hawkeyegirl · #4 01-13-2010, 11:28 AM

How does this work, exactly? My understanding of the JDRF's involvement in the AP project so far was that any technology developed with JDRF funds would be made available to all companies, either through licensing or that it would just be "public" (non-patented) technology. Now you have JDRF partnering with J&J to create a for-profit product. Interesting. (Especially because although I cannot remember the exact position he holds with either entity, I believe one of the directors or majority shareholders of J&J holds a position on the JDRF board of directors.)

Sarah Maddie's Mom · #5 01-13-2010, 11:31 AM

Ok - if I'm understanding this correctly, it means that $8 million in hard found JDRF funds will be used to advance the R&D efforts of a for-profit company, and in 4 years may provide us with an integrated pump and CGM which will require 1 infusion set insertion and a second sensor insertion and one or two remote devices ... which we and or our insurance companies will buy from the above mentioned company? This integrated system will make basal rate adjustments to some extent on it's own. But we will still be manually bolusing for meals. And will we be actively treating lows requiring carbs? Or is the wizard in the machine supposed to prevent ALL lows? And JDRF is along for the ride, why? Because the market doesn't sustain this R&D, or because they stand to gain in some material way, or because this is how they think we want our donations spent?

I'm confused.

BrokenPancreas · #6 01-13-2010, 11:36 AM

My daughter uses the Navigator and soon will be using the Minimed.

The article says it will be Dexcom and Animas.

Just thinking out loud..

hawkeyegirl · #7 01-13-2010, 11:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BrokenPancreas

My daughter uses the Navigator and soon will be using the Minimed.

The article says it will be Dexcom and Animas.

Just thinking out loud..

I wouldn't worry. By the time the miracle product comes out, both your pump and CGM will be out of warranty, and you can upgrade for free.

As an edit to my post above, it is Woody Johnson who is "heir to the J&J fortune" and who is chairman of the board of directors for JDRF. I think I'm pretty appalled by that.

joy orz · #8 01-13-2010, 11:46 AM

I just finished reading "Diabetes Rising" by Dan Hurley - there were some threads about his NPR interview recently.

Anyway, he was a test subject for the Minimed cloosed loop system. He talks about the experience in the book. He felt very positive about the experience and is greatly looking forward to the day when this becomes a reality.

While an artificial pancreas is not a cure, reading a t1's experience with it, made me very optimistic that it will be a major development in quality of life for our kiddos.

(On a side note, if you haven't read it yet, the book is good. Starts off as a major downer with theories on the rise of new cases, but then gets to the good part about treatment options, new technology and cure research. If you get through the first half, you'll be uplifted in the second half.)

moco89 · #9 01-13-2010, 12:24 PM

The self-adjusting pump with cgms will certainly not be a closed loop system, because the sensors available have to be able to sense 6x faster than the rise in glucose.

At least as much "user intervention" will be required as now, especially in the earliest versions of this self-adjusting pump.

And no, I do not consider this research. I consider it "product development"(!). But, I guess it's for a good cause.....

Remember that the AP has only been testing in controlled settings, such as in the hospital with controlled amounts of carbs and activity.

badshoe · #10 01-13-2010, 12:38 PM

From the end of the release, "JDRF's goal is to have multiple versions of an artificial pancreas available for people with diabetes; the organization will continue to explore partnerships with other industry leaders."

Like JDRF?s IDDP I think there is sound reason for folks to wonder why JDRF works with for profits. I have spent some time over the last few years talking to JDRF. They have been clear, the idea is to bridge breakthrough in the lab to services in the market that PWD can use to live better lives.

JDRF is involved in a number of agreements with for profits. I would love more transparency but to be honest a few of the IDDP agreements have been in the for profit's 10K financial statements and they are not light reading.

I don't know if this is structured like an IDDP. If it is then JDRF stands to see returns form the commercialization of the product.

I don't see type 1 research as cure or nothing. I think there are incremental technologies that hold great promise to improve the standard of living for people with diabetes.

My 2007 bit on IDDP is here