Drug Delivery Business

University of Virginia has a smartphone-controlled artificial pancreas

By

Danielle Kirsh, MDO Assistant Editor

University of Virginia artificial pancreas
[Image courtesy of University of Virginia]
University of Virginia researchers are making strides when it comes to developing an artificial pancreas that can be controlled using a smartphone.

The FDA approved the UVA-developed artificial pancreas for testing in 2012, and UVA received a $3.4M grant from the National Institutes of Health in 2013. The device is currently in the testing phase and will be sent to the FDA for approval upon completion in 2018, according to the university.

The UVA-developed artificial pancreas is one of a number of artificial pancreas devices under development. Medtronic developed the MiniMed 670G system, which is a closed loop system that monitors glucose and delivers insulin based on the glucose readings. The MiniMed 670G continuously delivers user-selected basal insulin to manage type 1 diabetes, though users still need to manually handle mealtime insulin doses. It was approved by the FDA on Sept. 28, 2016.

Get the full story on our sister site, Medical Design & Outsourcing.

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About Chris Newmarker

Chris Newmarker is the executive editor of WTWH Media life science's news websites and publications including MassDevice, Medical Design & Outsourcing and more. A professional journalist of 18 years, he is a veteran of UBM (now Informa) and The Associated Press whose career has taken him from Ohio to Virginia, New Jersey and, most recently, Minnesota. He’s covered a wide variety of subjects, but his focus over the past decade has been business and technology. He holds bachelor’s degrees in journalism and political science from Ohio State University. Connect with him on LinkedIn or email at cnewmarker@wtwhmedia.com.