The American Diabetes Association's 79th Scientific Sessions, the largest annual American diabetes research conference of the year, was held June 7-11 in San Francisco, California and ended today.
The conference featured 2,197 research abstracts (summaries of key research findings) and 277 formal presentation sessions. Overall, the majority of the conference discussion was focused on type 2 diabetes. Among research abstracts, the JDCA counted 308 that specifically addressed type 1 diabetes directly – about 14% of the total. Among formal presentation sessions, the JDCA counted 13 that directly address type 1 diabetes - about five percent of the total.
The main headline for the JDCA community is there were no new practical cure projects announced at the conference and there were no PC project updates. The most publicized and newsworthy conference topics are detailed below.
Key Highlights
TrialNet Pathway to Prevention Study
In a landmark study, Teplizumab delayed type 1 diabetes progression a median of 2 years in children and adults with T1D. All study participants had two or more autoantibodies and abnormal blood sugar levels. This was far and away the most covered news story at the conference.
Many Companies Making Progress on Closed-Loop 'AP'
Similar to last year, most of the major companies developing closed-loop systems showed posters that revealed ongoing improvements in blood glucose monitoring accuracy and overall glucose control. Several companies provided updates on their closed-loop systems including Medtronic, Insulet/Omnipod, Eli Lilly, Beta Bionics, and Bigfoot, among others. Highlights include:
- Beta Bionics and Zealand Pharma Report Strong Results on ILet System Using Zealand's Dasiglucagon
- Beta Bionics announced the successful completion of a home-use phase 2 study testing the ILet Bionic Pancreas. Preliminary results showed that participants using the dual-hormone ILet experienced slightly improved glycemic control and were within their glucose range level 79% of the time, as compared to patients using the insulin only ILet who were within range 71% of the time.
- Medtronic and Dexcom Join Insulet as Tidepool Partners
- The Tidepool program's goal is to develop an automated AP operating system that could be compatible and interchangeable with different insulin pumps or CGMs. Tidepool plans to officially launch with an Omnipod System, a future Bluetooth-enabled MiniMed pump from Medtronic, and the Dexcom G6 CGM.
Zealand Pharma Reports Positive Phase 3 Trial Data for Dasiglucagon
The trial found that a single dose of dasiglucagon rapidly increased blood glucose levels in type 1 diabetes patients. The median time to plasma glucose recovery was 10 min following dasiglucagon injection, with 99% of patients recovering within 15 minutes.
Diabetes Research Institute Reports Long-Term Islet Cell Transplant Data
Five patients who received an ICT and had been insulin independent for an average of 10 years showed near-normal glycemic profiles and time-in-range metrics.
Related Links:
79th Scientific Sessions Homepage:(Click here to view)
