Diabetes And Technology - A Medical Breakthrough

May 23, 11:21 AMBusiness ExaminerDarrell Proctor

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Diabetes - particularly Type 1 - has been in the news a lot lately, particularly around Denver after the diagnosis for Broncos quarterback Jay Cutler.

Researchers are trying to improve treatments and they're doing it with the help of technology. The Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation has an artificial pancreas project, with a workshop scheduled in July in Bethesda, Md.

Here's a link to what's happening in Australia, where doctors are studying how to affect patients' glucose levels to get control of the disease. With current technology, the story from The Australian points out "there is a time lag between sensing glucose levels in the blood and actually getting the insulin to where it needs to be." It also notes that "JDRF researchers are developing algorithms that predict changes caused by human behavior, so that the insulin goes directly where it's needed in real time."

Dr. Fergus Cameron (at left in the photo at right), the head of diabetes services at the Royal Children's Hospital in Melbourne, predicts a "technological solution will probably happen before a biological one."

Also of note - last month, the FDA cleared wireless technology for a diabetes management system.