NEWS
INPUT FUSION
VIACYTE STILL VIABLE TILLY BATHER
DEXCOM VIDEO
Meet others with Type 1 diabetes, chat with
people with similar interests, share what
works for you, and exchange ideas at this
event hosted by diabetes charity Input. It
is on 2 June 10am - 4pm at the London
Irish Centre NW1. The day will include an
opening address by the Grumpy Pumper
and a keynote talk by Professor John
Pickup, nick-named the 'father of insulin
pumps', as well as a research update by
Dr Monika Reddy from Imperial College
London on its BiAP and CGM microneedles
projects. There will be small group sessions
on access to insulin pump therapy, CGM
and Flash glucose monitoring. It should be a
day of fun, socialising, sharing and learning
with an exhibition at lunchtime. Registration
fee of £10 per person which will be refunded
as long as you turn up! Includes lunch and
refreshments (gluten-free and vegetarian
options will be available). Expect to see your
refund within a few days after 2nd June.
REGISTER HERE.
ViaCyte, a beta cell technology company
funded by JDRF, has been awarded a
Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR)
Phase II Award from the National Institute of
Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases
(NIDDK) to support the further development
of its work. In the Phase II effort, ViaCyte
will continue research into stem cell-derived
beta cells for the treatment of T1D.
JDRF, which has funded beta cell
replacement research since 2004, when
ViaCyte was known as CyThera, says:
"Initially, we wanted to look for ways to
derive a stem cell line capable of giving
rise to several different cell types. One
of which, developed by ViaCyte, is
termed CyT49. JDRF also funded
the preclinical and clinical studies of
ViaCyte's PEC-01, which is designed
to mature into islet tissue in humans,
including glucose-responsive insulinsecreting
beta cells. JDRF celebrates
this new line of funding for ViaCyte,
which may lead to commercialisation of
this innovative technology."
According to JDRF, "The shortage of
donor beta cells and the need for strong
immunosuppressive drugs to prevent cell
destruction make beta cell transplantation
an impractical solution for most people.
JDRF is heeding the call, developing
beta cell replacement technologies that
are capable of restoring glucose control
and delivering long-term independence
without suppressing the body's immune
system. ViaCyte is moving another step
forward in the development of their
system, and the technology will hopefully
be approved in coming years."
Six-in-ten people would be more
likely to buy food from an eating
establishment that provided traffic light
labelling on menus and packaging, a
poll from Diabetes UK has revealed. The
survey of 2,121 UK adults, carried out
by ComRes showed that the majority
of the UK public's spending habits
eating outside the home might be
positively influenced by how easily they
understand what is in the food and drink
they're buying. The majority said they
were more likely to buy from an eating
establishment where calorie labelling on
food menus/ packaging was available.
The findings come from Diabetes
UK's Food Upfront campaign, which is
calling on the Government to commit
to introducing mandatory front-of-pack
traffic light labelling to all pre-packaged
food and drinks, and urge medium-tolarge food establishments to provide
customers with calorie information on
their menus with additional nutritional
information, such as carb content,
available online or when asked in store.
The findings shed light on how the
availability of clear labelling on food and
drink could considerably influence the
spending habits of the British public.
You can sign up to join the campaign!
www.diabetes.org.uk/foodupfront
FOOD LABELS INFLUENCE SPEND