Loop and Learn, a Facebook group for T1Ds on the DIY closed loop systems as well as now anyone using or interested in commercial closed loop systems, hosted Ed Damiano, the founder of Beta Bionics, makers of the iLet artificial pancreas, to chat with us about iLet … when it will be released, how it will work, etc. It was a GREAT presentation and we could have talked for many hours more! Hope you enjoy this and learn a lot about the newest closed loop technologies. Closed loop systems are coming onto the market fast in the next 2 years … fasten your seatbelts for a lot of new entries and new devices!
About Ed and Beta Bionics: Beta Bionics is developing a bionic pancreas called the iLet – a fully integrated medical device that is designed to reduce the burden and cost of diabetes care by automatically and autonomously managing blood sugar levels 24/7 in people with type 1 diabetes.
What’s different about Beta Bionics? In April 1, 2016 the company announced the establishment of a “public benefit corporation,” an emerging concept that combines some aspects of non-profit and for-profit entities. This will allow the startup to prioritize benefit to our D-Community over profit for shareholders, all in the name of getting this automated system out to market and in patients’ hands.
What else is different? The iLet will come in 2 versions:
- A standard AID using AI technology and only needs users to enter their body weight for set up … the system will learn over time. And users will not have to count carbs … but rather announce the meal as small, regular or large.
- A dual hormone, dual cartridge AID (insulin and stable glucagon) delivery pump that mimics the biological pancreas.
I was briefly part of a clinical trial related to the meal size and carbs. The program was pretty good. However, it was strange to always have to separate my food into piles. baked potato Push it into a pile, meat cut and make a pile. I know this will be OK since the Ilet is not asking for pictures. But the company I was doing it for wants to deliver it with you taking a picture.
competition is a great thing