Hot New Diabetes Technology at the June 2021 DiabetesMine D-Data ExChange

The very first #DData meeting was essentially an ad hoc gathering of early patient hackers. Knowing there were lots of folks out there starting to tinker with diabetes technology, we pulled a meeting together as a pre-day to our annual DiabetesMine Innovation Summit, then held at Stanford School of Medicine. There was excitement in the air and an upsurge of interest from around the country!

#DData then quickly evolved into an established event series that takes place twice a year, in mid-June and early November.

The connections made at these events have had some exciting tangible results, including:

• A lot of folks from the Do-It-Yourself (DIY) community getting hired by forward-thinking industry organizations. What could be better than placing those brilliant patient-focused minds where they can help change the market for diabetes tools?
• Partnerships, research projects, pilot programs, and advisory boards.
• Importantly, we’ve seen and are seeing real strides in interoperability and embracing open-source models in diabetes innovation.

#DData has always been a place to hear about cutting-edge technology from the DIY community and various startups, along with new regulatory pathways directly from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) experts.

The DiabetesMine D-Data ExChange gathers patient-entrepreneurs rallying behind the grassroots #WeAreNotWaiting movement with the major pharma leaders, medical device manufacturers, clinicians, and researchers creating vital algorithms, consumer mHealth tech experts and designers, and FDA experts.

At its core, it’s all about connecting the diabetes DIY community with leaders from pharma, medtech, regulatory, clinical, and digital health design worlds to have candid conversations and break down barriers. To keep it intimate, and foster quality networking, we generally cap these events at a max of roughly 170 individuals.

We’ll take a look a what’s happening in the world of diabetes medtech innovation in 2021, both in the industry and in the patient community.

Today, a big focus will be on:

Increasing access to diabetes tech tools to underserved and underinsured people with diabetes.

Expanding the market for tools like continuous glucose monitors (CGM) to non-insulin users and even consumers (which benefits us all).

Building out education and support for both healthcare providers and patients on new AID systems, because these sophisticated tools are only powerful if people know how to optimally use them.

Specifically, this agenda lineup includes:

• C|NET Senior Editor Brian Cooley – Our opening talk will shed light on trends in consumer adoption of digital technology and how next-generation 5G networks can potentially transform healthcare.

• EXPLORING FDA’S INNOVATION PATHWAYS – A seasoned regulatory consultant and a former FDA diabetes branch leader will discuss the path forward for emerging Automated Insulin Delivery (AID) systems and other digital D-tech. For example, how will FDA deal with incremental software upgrades going forward?

• DIABETES DIY IN 2021 – All about the research of the European OPEN Diabetes Project and how they see patient innovators collaborating with industry in the future — presented by digital clinician, scientist, and type 1 diabetes (T1D) looper herself, Dr. Katarina Braune.

• SMART PENS GO BIG – Leaders from Medtronic/Companion Medical, Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk discuss how “we’ve only scratched the surface” of the potential of connected insulin pen technology, including the many practical problems they solve.

• “BEYOND TELEHEALTH” – Unveiling of new research by DiabetesMine and One Drop on patient insights around digital tools for self-care.

• EDUCATION, SUPPORT, & ACCESS – These are the keys to success for continuous glucose monitoring (CGM), Automated Insulin Delivery (AID) systems and diabetes technology in general. Experts from Stanford University, the Barbara Davis Center for Diabetes, and the national Diabetes Leadership Council will share the real progress being made.

• Diabetes Advocates in the BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and People of Color) community will present a new PSA video on ‘the other access issue’: Disaster Preparedness.

• #DDATA Demos: An inside look at a great lineup of hot new players:
  • Bigfoot Unity – the exciting new automated insulin delivery system built around a connected insulin pen cap, just approved by the FDA in mid-May 2021.
  • Tidepool Loop – a first-of-its-kind app that will connect with a variety of compatible insulin pumps and CGMs to automate insulin dosing.
  • Thrivable – a real-time market research platform makes it easy for patients to be their own advocates by sharing their insights via surveys, interviews, usability studies, and more.
  • DiaMon Tech – a pioneering noninvasive glucose monitoring device out of Germany that is showing comparable accuracy to existing commercial minimally-invasive CGM devices.
  • Waveform – a new 14-day-wear CGM with a needle-less sensor insertion method, and multiple eco-friendly features, including a rechargeable transmitter and reusable sensor insertion tool.
  • Levels – the first consumer program to pair CGM with intelligent software to support metabolic awareness for the general population.
  • Nudge BG – Diabetes inventor Lane Desborough’s new algorithm designed to make AID systems simpler and more efficient by “nudging” basal insulin in response to CGM data.

Videos of the presentations and demos will be made public on our #DData website by the end of the month. Stay tuned to our Twitter and Facebook channels for updates.

A HUGE THANK YOU to the organizations that have stepped up to support this community and make these gatherings possible: