15
KIT
I run Tidepool.
My daughter was
diagnosed with
T1D in 2011. The
thing that excites
me most about
Tidepool Loop
is how it lets
kids with Type
1 diabetes be
kids, to live more
normal lives, and
think less about
their diabetes
management. ~
Howard Look
Tidepool's technology will help make
data protocols open and available
via its platform. This platform will
enable improvements in Artificial
Pancreas (AP) development, helping
researchers to focus on algorithms,
trials and effectiveness."
He continued, "The Universal
Device Uploader will also allow
for increased artificial pancreas
(AP) research based on greater
understandings of the data from
diabetes devices. JDRF will join
multiple partners who have
announced agreements with
Tidepool including Insulet which
has provided the data protocol for
the OmniPod to Tidepool as well as
Dexcom, the first device makers to
embrace an open data platform and
encourage an ecosystem of diabetes
management software to emerge."
Things continued with more
developments and more investment
leading towards the point where true
proof of concept could be attained.
Back in 2019, David Panzirer, trustee
of The Helmsley Charitable Trust,
explained, "Loop is one of the
greatest things out there right now.
My daughter has been on its DIY
Loop for nearly two years. There
have definitely been improvements
in her clinical care, but the real story
is the improvement in her quality
of life. My daughter tells me that
she doesn't need to think about her
diabetes as much as she used to."
Dr. Aaron Kowalski, Chief Mission
Officer for JDRF in 2019, later to
become its CEO, said, "This is exactly
what we dreamed of when we
launched the JDRF Open Protocol
Initiative in 2017 - to accelerate
innovation, give users greater control
over insulin delivery devices, and
expand their ability to choose system
components that work best for them.
Through the Tidepool Loop project,
Tidepool will demonstrate the
power and value of an interoperable
ecosystem of diabetes devices, giving
people with diabetes more options
for better control with less burden."
Also at the time, Howard Look,
founder and CEO of Tidepool, said,
"Tidepool's mission has always
been to build and deliver groundbreaking
software that helps people
living with diabetes. With Tidepool
Loop, we are building upon the
incredible efforts and innovation of
the #WeAreNotWaiting movement.
By taking on Tidepool Loop, we will
bring Loop to an even a broader
community, make it work with
commercial, in-warranty devices, and
deliver it through FDA pathways."
More partnerships
It was announced in June 2019
that Medtronic and Tidepool agreed
Opposite, Tidepool Loop's app on
an iPhone and Apple Watch. Left:
The tide does turn. Above: a graphic
showing how the components work
both the Tidepool Loop app and
the Bluetooth-enabled MiniMed
pump that works with Tidepool
Loop. This included pursuing iCGM
(Integrated Continuous Glucose
Monitoring) classification for the
Medtronic's Guardian sensor and
ACE (Alternate Controller Enabled)
pump classification for a future
Bluetooth-enabled MiniMed pump.
This is what lead the way to the
newly FDA-cleared interoperable
system. The ACE pump and iCGM
sensor components can be mixed
and matched with the Tidepool Loop
app as the user chooses.
Ali Dianaty, vice president of
research and development for the
Diabetes Group at Medtronic said
at the time, "We have been listening
and engaging with the diabetes
community to understand what is
important to them. We recognize
that collaboration with Tidepool
is a way to further drive industry
innovation. Working with Tidepool
and supporting interoperability, we
can increase the options available for
people with diabetes to manage their
condition as they seek out solutions
that help them achieve better health
and improve quality of life."