In this week’s issue of The Savvy Diabetic: 

• • Islet Cells Still Working Without Immune-Suppressing Drugs
  • No Touchy! When Your Diabetes Device and Your Skin Just Can’t Get Along
  • Continuous Ketone Monitors with Dr. David Ahn/@AhnCall,
  • Insulet, Calm join forces for diabetes care offerings 
  • Finerenone Improves Kidney Function in Type 1 Diabetes
  • Dual-Hormone Pumps: A Solution in Search of a Problem
  • What’s Happening at ADA?
    • The New ADA: I Prefer the Old One by Irl B. Hirsch, MD
    • Fresh turmoil roils American Diabetes Association at conference
  • Out of touch medical care, published in The Lancet
  • Doctors want wearable data but healthcare isn’t ready for it
  • 4 top factors that drive physicians to give up clinical practice
  • What your favorite foods reveal about your mouth microbiome
  • 5 mosquito-fighting methods that work and 4 that don’t
  • FUN ERRONEOUS FACTOID: ‘Generations of students have been deceived’

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• • News from T1Dto100
    • Smartphones Can Increase Seniors’ Risk Of Depression

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Islet Cells Still Working Without Immune-Suppressing Drugs by Anna Brooks for diaTribe.org, 15 July 2026.

Transplanting islet cells in people with type 1 diabetes can restore the body’s ability to make insulin, but the treatment typically requires lifelong immunosuppressive drugs with potentially serious side effects to protect the cells.

Newly published results from Sana Biotechnology offer an early sign that cells modified with gene editing may be able to survive by essentially hiding from the immune system. In a first-of-its-kind study, insulin-producing islet cells from a deceased donor were genetically modified and transplanted into the forearm of a man with long-standing type 1. After 14 months, the cells were still producing insulin – without the use of immune-suppressing drugs.

WHY IT MATTERS:  It’s important to note that this is an early study in just one person. But the finding that insulin-producing cells remained working for more than a year without immunosuppression addresses a major challenge for potential cell therapies for type 1. Future studies will address whether stem cell-derived islet cells can be used instead of donor cells, if they can survive long term in more people, and whether they can achieve stable glucose levels while fully replacing the need for insulin.  

Read more: Long-Term Survival of Hypoimmune Allogeneic Islets without Immunosuppression

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No Touchy! When Your Diabetes Device and Your Skin Just Can’t Get Along… by Amber Jackson for IntegratedDiabetes.com, 13 July 2026.

Other common offenders included Nickel, Ethyl cyanoacrylate (a fast-acting adhesive component), Balsam of Peru (a fragrance and resin compound), and Phenol-formaldehyde resin.  These substances may be found not only in the adhesive that sticks the device to the skin but also in components used to manufacture the device itself.

What Can We Do?  The ideal solution would be improved products with fewer allergenic ingredients. Until then, there are several strategies that may help.

Read more: When Diabetes Devices Irritate Your Skin: Causes and Proven Fixes

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Continuous Ketone Monitors with Dr. David Ahn/@AhnCall, by Rachael Sood, NP-C, CDCES for thediabetescollective.net, 11 July 2026.

Availability of Continuous Ketone Monitors is on the horizon. But will they cause more havoc than help?  That’s a question I asked Endocrinologist and Diabetes tech expert, Dr. David Ahn of Orange County, California.

Listen to the discussion on the diabetic ketoacidosis crisis, and how technology could help solve a fatal problem for people living with or newly diagnosed with Diabetes: DKA. Learn about the new Dual glucose Ketone monitor made by Abbott, launching in the United States very very soon. Of note, Dexcom has also announced their next model CGM (the G8) will have similar detection properties, if not even more analytes.

Watch the interview:  Availability of Continuous Ketone Monitors with Dr. David Ahn/@AhnCall

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Insulet, Calm join forces for diabetes care offerings with ‘Mind in Range’ wellness tools by Zoey Becker for FiercePharma.com, 14 July 2026.

Insulet’s wearable insulin patch Omnipod may be able to seamlessly control insulin delivery for patients with diabetes, but it can’t fill all mental health-related treatment gaps on its own. To broaden its network of personalized care offerings, the company is teaming up with mental health platform Calm to roll out a host of holistic “Mind in Range” resources.

Insulet and Calm’s free-to-access mindfulness tools, launched Tuesday, July 14, are specifically tailored to the diabetes community and include short meditations, a breathing exercise and a new Calm Sleep Story narrated by fashion model Lila Moss, a diabetes patient and advocate. The collaboration marks Calm’s first integrated content partnership with a medtech company and aims to “normalize conversations” around mental health care in diabetes management, while also making mindfulness “simple and accessible,” Insulet explained in a release. 

People with diabetes are 20% more likely to develop anxiety, according to the company, putting into focus Insulet’s mission to position mental health as an “essential role” in diabetes management. Moreover, 66% of people with diabetes and 46% of caregivers report poor-quality sleep driven by diabetes-related stress and anxiety, according to Insulet. 

“Global data suggest that nearly 80% of people living with diabetes suffer burnout from the emotional strain and demands of daily management. We hold ourselves to a clear standard: do more for people while asking less of them,” the medtech’s chief growth officer Manoj Raghunandanan explained. “Partnering with Calm recognizes the emotional dimension of diabetes and expands the support we provide beyond physical outcomes.”

WHY IT MATTERS: Diabetes-specific tools to help manage stress and anxiety are essential, as emotional well-being can play a big role in diabetes management. You can try the Mind in Range Collection for free, and if you’d like to learn more about diabetes distress and tips for coping with it, you can find more helpful information here.    

Read more: Insulet, Calm join forces for diabetes care offerings with ‘Mind in Range’ wellness tools

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Finerenone Improves Kidney Function in Type 1 Diabetes by Victoria Socha for DocWireNews.com, 9 July 2026.

Although earlier research has shown that finerenone improves kidney and cardiovascular outcomes in patients with type 2 diabetes and CKD, use of the medication has not been evaluated in people with type 1 diabetes and CKD. To address the gap, Hiddo J. L. Heerspink, PhD, and colleagues examined the use of finerenone in this population and determined that it is effective.

The UACR was reduced from 574.6 mg/g at baseline to 373.5 mg/g at 6 months among participants who received finerenone, and from 506.4 mg/g to 475.6 mg/g among those who received placebo. This indicates that finerenone produced a 25% larger reduction than the placebo.

The researchers concluded that finerenone produced a significantly larger reduction in UACR than the placebo.

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Dual-Hormone Pumps: A Solution in Search of a Problem by Derek Brandt on LinkedIn, 15 July 2026.

Why adding glucagon to closed-loop systems is the wrong direction — and what the evidence actually shows: For more than a decade, dual-hormone (bihormonal) artificial pancreas systems have been sold as the next logical step in diabetes technology. Add glucagon to insulin, the argument goes, and you finally mimic the pancreas. Eliminate hypoglycaemia. Push time-in-range beyond what insulin-only automated insulin delivery (AID) can achieve.

I want to challenge that narrative directly. Not because innovation is bad, but because the risk-benefit calculation for dual-hormone pumps in 2026 no longer holds up. The clinical, pharmacological and pragmatic case against them has grown stronger, while the case for insulin-only AID combined with modern adjunct pharmacology has become overwhelming.

The pharmacological reality of chronic glucagon: Glucagon is not insulin. It is a potent, systemically active peptide hormone with an adverse-effect profile that its supporters routinely underplay. Look at the FDA label and the peer-reviewed literature. Nausea rates of up to 35 percent, vomiting, headache, injection-site reactions, hypertension, tachycardia, positive inotropic and chronotropic effects, hypokalaemia, and, critically for chronic subcutaneous delivery, necrolytic migratory erythema (NME) reported post-marketing after continuous glucagon infusion.

Anyone proposing years or decades of pulsed subcutaneous glucagon in a person with T1D has to answer, honestly, what happens to hepatic glucagon-receptor sensitivity, to counter-regulatory reserve, and to endogenous glucagon signalling over that timeframe. The pharmacology says: nothing good. The long-term human data says: we do not yet know, because it has not been studied.There is also the immunogenicity question. Dasiglucagon, the glucagon analogue used in most modern bihormonal systems, has documented anti-drug antibody formation, including at least one case with neutralising activity cross-reactive against native glucagon. For a rescue drug taken once every few years, this is manageable. For a hormone infused chronically as part of daily therapy, it is a red flag that regulators, clinicians and patients should not ignore.

Conclusion:  The path forward for the field is clear. Continue to refine insulin-only AID algorithms. Integrate GLP-1 and GIP/GLP-1 co-agonists as evidence-based adjuncts. Invest in beta-cell preservation, immunomodulation, and closed-loop refinement. Leave chronic subcutaneous glucagon where it belongs: as an emergency rescue, not as a chronic therapy.

Read more: 

• • • • Dual-Hormone Pumps: A Solution in Search of a Problem
      • Could the Bi-Hormonal Pump be the “Artificial Pancreas” We’ve Been Waiting For?

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What’s Happening at ADA?

Upon reflection, my thoughts are as follows:

1. 1. 1. ADA leadership has forgotten its mission. As millions of dollars come in, do the CEO and board consider the core mission of ADA? Many of us don’t believe the mission is even on their radar.
      2. Given the outrage (I haven’t heard one supporter of ADA’s actions), why should the diabetes industry or private donors contribute to the ADA?
      3. Will clinicians find a different “home” medical society?
      4. Why should the ADA be in anyone’s will or trust after death?
      5. This is the first time I can remember in many years where Democrats and Republicans agree on an issue, further acknowledging the egregious act of removing the scientists.
      6. Why do we need an independent investigation? Doesn’t the board know exactly what happened, who called the police, who composed the emails to the attendees during the session?
      7. Was a public relations firm used to formulate the ADA response? If so, the association needs a new one.
      8. Who will be held accountable? Doesn’t the buck stop with the CEO?

In my opinion, like a computer, the ADA needs a reboot. It needs to get back to its roots and focus on its mission. Another analogy is that ADA leadership doesn’t need to be flushed like a toilet; instead, the organization needs a new toilet.

Read more: The New ADA: I Prefer the Old One

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Fresh turmoil roils American Diabetes Association following controversy at conference by Alex Hogan for StatNews.com, 12 June 2026.

The expulsion of five diabetes experts from the American Diabetes Association meeting in New Orleans earlier this week caused quite a stir. Many in the diabetes research community expressed shock and disbelief that their colleagues were threatened with arrest for passing out paper copies of an editorial. After a few days of doubling down in the face of significant backlash, the ADA did formally apologize on Wednesday. But is their mea culpa too little, too late?

In this week’s STATus Report, I chat with STAT cardiovascular disease reporter Elizabeth Cooney. She was in New Orleans for the diabetes meeting, and we discussed what exactly happened, what the reaction was like on the ground, what it says about the climate of biomedical research in the second Trump administration, and more. 

Read more: How a diabetes conference sparked a controversy

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Out of touch medical care was published by TheLancet.com, 1 July 2026.

With the rapid adoption of AI technologies in medicine, this trend could deepen, or reverse. Will AI colonise the clinical encounter, fostering a mindset focused more on the diagnosis than the person, or even replace clinicians in ways that make their physical presence no longer necessary? Or could these tools instead, eg, by easing the burden of administration, help return the clinician’s focus to the patient as a subject rather than an object—and with it the place of touch?

Read more: Out of touch medical care

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Doctors are on board with wearable devices and see their potential to improve patient care, but integration into clinical practice still faces significant roadblocks. Most physicians (97%) reported reviewing wearable data in some capacity, and large majorities reported that wearable data provide at least some clinical advantage for patient care, according to a survey of more than 2,000 physicians across six countries (US, Canada, UK, France, Germany and Spain). Only 3% of physicians say they never review such data.

The most commonly reviewed data categories are broadly similar across countries: heart physiology, activity and function, biometric/physical events and alerts, and sleep. According to the survey, 77% of U.S. and 74% of non-U.S. physicians see some clinical advantage in wearable data. In fact, 82% of physicians personally use wearables, according to the survey conducted by the American Medical Association’s Center for Digital Health and AI and Medscape. The survey results indicate that doctors, by and large, see the value of data from smartwatches, fitness trackers and biosensors, but widespread clinical integration is held back by structural barriers rather than lack of motivation. 

“What surprised me is that the technology is ahead of the healthcare system, not ahead of physicians,” American Medical Association CEO John Whyte, M.D., told Fierce Healthcare. “The systems are not set up to maximize that data for clinical impact.” The data needs to be actionable and not just available, Whyte noted.

For wearable data to be used more broadly in clinical practice, there needs to be stronger clinical validation, clearer payment and liability frameworks, better tools for interpreting data, and workflows that fit seamlessly into clinical practice, AMA President Willie Underwood III, M.D., said.

Read more: 

• • • • Doctors want wearable data but healthcare isn’t ready for it
      • Why physicians can’t get wearable data into routine care: 6 things to know

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More than 500 physicians participated in the study, “Why Have All the Doctors Gone? Insights into Early Clinical Departure Among Physicians in the United States: A National Survey.” The respondents had practiced clinical medicine after graduate medical education but were no longer practicing, and researchers asked them to look at a list of items and chose ones that led to their departure. 

Here are the top four reasons cited and the percentage of physicians that selected the answer:

• • • • Hassle factor: 44.7%. 
      • Too stressful: 44.5%.
      • Increasingly unrealistic patient demands: 41.1%.
      • Lack of professional satisfaction: 38.4%.

All the factors were associated with physician burnout, although study authors said they weren’t “necessarily suggesting a direct causative effect.”

Read more: 4 top factors that drive physicians to give up clinical practice

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What your favourite foods reveal about your mouth microbiome by Dr. Nich anek for ScienceFocus.co, 19 June 2026.

The ‘mouth biome‘ (or oral microbiome) refers to the vast community of microbes that live in your mouth – trillions of microscopic organisms, mainly bacteria, plus fungi and viruses. The mouth has the second-richest microbiome in the body, after the lower gut.  It’s incredibly complex: different microbes prefer different spots, such as the teeth, tongue, cheeks or gums. The mouth is perfect for them – warm, with a relatively stable acidity and saliva to constantly supply nutrients.

Your personal microbiome starts forming at birth. As you grow, social habits and diet become the biggest shapers. A ten-second kiss, for instance, can swap around 80 million microbes, so couples who kiss often end up with similar mouth microbiomes.  But does your oral microbiome affect taste? Yes – but only to a certain extent. Many foods contain ‘precursor’ molecules, which microbes break down while you chew, releasing hidden tastes.

In reality, though, the major driver of taste perception is genetics.  Around 25 per cent of us are ‘supertasters’ with far more of the tiny mushroom-shaped papillae on the tongue that house taste buds. To these people, bitter flavours are overwhelming.  Others with fewer papillae find the same tastes weak or bland.  On top of that, a single gene (TAS2R38) decides whether bitter compounds in broccoli or Brussels sprouts taste sharp and unpleasant – or barely register at all.  Finally, your saliva contains proteins that can alter the perception of how dry or bitter certain foods containing tannins (e.g. wine and tea) can feel. The levels of these proteins are determined by your genes.

So, while your mouth microbiome adds nuance to flavour, your genes are the real directors of taste.

Read more: What your favourite foods reveal about your mouth microbiome

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5 mosquito-fighting methods that work and 4 that don’t by Erica Sloan for WashingtonPost.com, 19 June 2026.

People with type 1 diabetes are not naturally more susceptible to getting mosquito bites. are attracted to carbon dioxide, body heat, and certain sweat odors, rather than blood sugar. However, once bitten, people with diabetes face a higher risk of slow-healing wounds and skin infections.

Eva Buckner, an assistant professor and state extension specialist at the UF/IFAS Florida Medical Entomology Laboratory, recommends taking a step back and considering the source of the bugs, especially if you live in a home with a yard, deck or other outdoor areas.

• • • • Remove standing water and set traps
      • Use EPA-registered repellent sprays, wipes, gels and lotions
      • Try permethrin-treated clothing
      • Buy spatial and clip-on emanators
      • Set up a box or oscillating fan

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FUN ERRONEOUS FACTOID: ‘Generations of students have been deceived’ by Hayley Bennett for ScienceFocus.com, 13 July 2026.

Generations of students have been deceived into thinking that the ability to perform the completely pointless party trick of tongue rolling comes down to a single gene.  This erroneous factoid, originating from the work of geneticist Alfred Sturtevant in the 1940s, did the rounds in biology classes for decades.  Since the arrival of the internet, however, the truth has come to light.

It turns out Sturtevant’s theory was disproved as early as the 1950s by studies of identical twins. Later, a small study also suggested that, with consistent practice, anyone can learn to roll their tongue.

[Perhaps the real point is that almost nobody is bothered enough to try.]

Read more: 

• • • • The genetics myth we were all taught has been busted
      • Tongue-rolling myth totally ‘debunked’
      • How the brightest minds in science – from Einstein to Da Vinci – revealed the nature of light

 

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• News from T1Dto100

• • Smartphones Can Increase Seniors’ Risk Of Depression by Dennis Thompson for HealthDay.com, 13 July 2026.

Two groups were especially vulnerable to depression, researchers found.

• • • • • The first included older men with less formal education who had signs of smartphone addiction. They aren’t able to navigate complex apps, which makes them more likely to use the phones for passive entertainment. These men could be at higher risk if they’ve relied heavily on their spouse or partner for social connection and have fewer family or community connections. “When they lose a partner or become isolated, they can be left without the same social buffers,” Huang said. “Their phone becomes an isolating crutch rather than a bridge.”
        • The other group was seniors with high incomes and education levels who suffer from smartphone addiction, suggesting that wealth and education won’t protect against loneliness if screen time replaces real-world connections. “Over time, passive digital consumption can begin to replace the real-world interactions that help protect mental health,” deepening isolation and worsening depressive symptoms, Huang said.

Read more: Smartphones Can Increase Seniors’ Risk Of Depression

And the community responded:

• • • I wouldn’t recommend those behaviors for any age group. I use my iPhone and iPad a lot for pump management, reading, communicating with friends and family, etc. I would like to see a study that looks at it from the other side: does depression and isolation in older adults lead to inappropriate cell phone use? My spouse has Alzheimer’s, and did not chronically misuse a cell phone until her disease progressed.
    • I read books on my phone, also “connect” with others via Facebook- glad to have it.
    • The Smartphone is a great source of information although I do question & confirm said information.  My Smartphone is used in my diabetes management & my diabetes careteam contact portals.  I interact with fellow T1Ds using my Smartphone. I’ve learned more about my diabetes in Facebook groups than from my doctors. If I am having an issue with my diabetes or my pump, sensors, etc I can get answers quicker asking in Facebook than waiting for an answer from my doctor or pump manufacturer.  A better question might be how does a Smartphone help someonewith type one diabetes.
    • OK, the only reason I carry a cell is ….. as an avid cyclist I have a method to contact someone in case of ???? … don’t use it for Facebook or anything else.
    • They are an excellent tool for everyone. People use them for all different reasons. I won’t give mine up. Its how we live now.
    • Interesting article and personally I like having my phone but also leave it alone when socializing. Would prefer a study on how it’s taken over human communication when dealing with Medical issues and supplies and how it impacts less tech Saavy individuals.
    • YES! I agree with you
    • Every new technology has a social impact.

“The smartphone is amazing, powerful (I remember the early days of PCs with no memory … and before cell phones and phone answering machines.  Quite an evolution of connection, reachability, safety, annoyance, medical necessity, a personal walking library, instant access, reachability, location-finding, light, magnifying, calculation, entertainment, “reading”, coolness, frustration.  

Wow … it’s A LOT!  Some EXCELLENT, some caregiving, some annoying, some introduction to “communication”/dating/“talking” by texting.  A whole new definition of connectivity. 

Plus your generation running away to “touch grass”.  I shared with my millennial part-timers this very popular song when I was in college, in the days of hippies. “Out in the Country” by Three Dog Night!  https://youtu.be/s3gGn6t8Bog”