1. Hybrid closed-loop insulin delivery system
[Image from FDA]
In 2016, the FDA approved the first hybrid closed-loop insulin delivery system. The system is designed to help manage Type 1 diabetes. It is a fully automated insulin delivery system that connects a continuous glucose monitor with an insulin pump, eliminating the need for people with diabetes having to test and manage their insulin levels themselves. Studies have shown that the system steadies blood glucose levels and has even dropped A1C levels by a half percent.
Jim Young, chair of the Endocrinology & Metabolism Institute at the Cleveland Clinic, said it’s not quite an “artificial pancreas” because it doesn’t perform all of the same functions of a pancreas, but it does handle the insulin function well.
Young also suggests that it has taken so long to get to market because of a “fear of failure” – too much or too little insulin could be a problem.
There are several companies currently in the race to make the first artificial pancreas.
Very promising disruptions in Healthcare. Will be interested as an incubator to closely track the development of ideas of healthcare startups.