Researchers from the University of California San Diego and GlySens Inc. have developed an implantable sensor that measures blood sugar continuously and transmits the information without wires, according to a Reuters report . The device worked in one pig for more than a year and in another for nearly 10 months with no trouble, and the researchers hope to start a human study within a few months. The project funded partly by JDRF is part of the Artificial Pancreas Project which aims to develop an automated insulin delivery system based...

San Diego boasts one of the most cutting-edge scientific and biotech communities in the nation, and diabetes doesn’t get overlooked by the local clinical and research organizations. San Diego is home to diabetes-focused corporations like Amylin Pharmaceuticals and Dexcom, patient care groups like Taking Care of Your Diabetes and the Behavioral Diabetes Institute, and innovative research institutions like the La Jolla Institute for Allergy and Immunology and the Sanford Burnham Medical Research Institute. So you can imagine...

Biodel Inc. announced the award of two research grants by the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) to Stanford University and Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) to evaluate the use of VIAject(R) (ultra-rapid-acting injectable human insulin) in the treatment of diabetes. The first grant will support clinical testing under the direction of Bruce Buckingham, M.D., professor of pediatrics at Stanford University School of Medicine, to compare the effects of VIAject(R) and Humalog(R) (insulin lispro) on postprandial...

“Our insulin is too slow,” Aaron Kowalski, head of the JDRF’s Artificial Pancreas Project, said when discussing some of today’s biggest roadblocks for better artificial pancreas systems. The cry for faster insulin is familiar to many diabetics, but the benefits of a faster method of delivery are not limited to the individual diabetic’s desire to have blood glucose levels normalize more quickly after bolusing. Faster insulin will also be a huge boon for systems designed to automatically calculate bolus...

Sanofi-aventis and the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) announced a unique partnership to develop therapeutic treatments for people with type 1 diabetes at different stages of the disease – both those living with the disease and the newly diagnosed – as well as preventing diabetes in those at risk.  Toward those goals, the partnership will focus on therapeutics such as immune therapies and beta cell regeneration. Under the newly announced partnership, sanofi-aventis and JDRF will jointly provide academic...

According to a Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) press release, representatives from the JDRF testified this week in two congressional hearings focused on advances in diabetes research and the importance of continued diabetes research funding through the Special Diabetes Program.  On Wednesday, June 30, 2010 at 9:30am, the Senate Indian Affairs Committee, chaired by Sen. Byron Dorgan (D-ND), held a hearing on the impact and importance of diabetes research for individuals and communities across the United States. ...

The other day, Chris Bishop (Type 1 Tidbits) wrote a very compelling blog post called “Diabetic Superheroes.” He said, rightfully, that anyone who deals with a chronic condition is a superhero and deserves to be recognized as such, especially since it’s such a thankless job. A number of people (including many medical professionals) make bold claims that anger should play no role  in managing a chronic disease like diabetes. Some of these individuals suggest that acceptance is, or should be, a key component...

Osiris Therapeutics, Inc. announced that it has been granted Orphan Drug designation from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for Prochymal as a treatment for type 1 diabetes mellitus. The FDA instituted the Orphan Drug Act to promote the development of treatments for underserved patient populations. To be eligible for Orphan Drug designation, the treatment must target a disease that affects fewer than 200,000 new patients per year in the United States. Orphan Drug...

NEW YORK, April 27, 2010 (JDRF Press Release) – The Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation announced today that it is partnering with Living Cell Technologies (LCT), a New Zealand-based biotechnology company focused on developing cell based therapeutics, in a Phase II clinical trial to study the safety and effectiveness of transplanting encapsulated insulin-producing cells from pigs as a treatment for type 1 diabetes with significant hypoglycemia unawareness. Through its Industry Discovery and Development Partnership...

The new artificial pancreas system developed at Boston University was able to maintain near-normal glucose levels without causing hypoglycemia in a small group of type 1 diabetic patients in the first clinical trial conducted at Massachusetts General Hospital. The system, that closely mimics the body’s blood sugar control mechanism, combines a blood glucose monitor and insulin pump technology with software that directs administration of insulin and the blood-sugar-raising hormone glucagon. Because any administration of...