19
NEWS
Medtronic
This year Medtronic brought
back its Blue Balloon Challenge
in recognition of what is 'national
diabetes awareness month' in
America. Introduced in 2021, the
movement encourages people with
diabetes to help drive awareness
and understanding of the chronic
condition. The company instructs
people to take a video or photo
while bouncing a blue balloon
in the air with the hashtag
#BlueBalloonChallenge. Each hashtag
leads to a donation from Medtronic.
This year, the company's initiative
focused on raising awareness around
Type 1 diabetes. The medtech giant
plans to donate to Breakthrough
T1D (formerly JDRF) to support
the organization's work to achieve
affordable access to current
therapies, drive the adoption of
innovative technologies and fund
research for future Type 1 diabetes
breakthroughs. The company says its
initiative can help "make the invisible,
visible" by showing what living with
diabetes is really like, while driving
progress through awareness.
James Cantley Lab, which
undertakes islet biology and
metabolic disease research, is based
in Dundee, Scotland. On World
Diabetes Day 2024, the lab took part
in the blue balloon challenge saying,
"People living with Type 1 diabetes
need to make many decisions a day
on top of daily life in order to manage
their condition. By trying to balance
a balloon whilst carrying out our
tasks, we gained insight into how
challenging juggling these decisions
can be. We hope to make the invisible
visible and spread awareness of how
resilient the Type 1 community is!"
Sufyan Hussain
"I had the privilege of spending WDD
in Brussels, immersed in discussions
that highlighted both the progress
and challenges in diabetes care. The
day began with a dynamic forum
organized by Breakthrough T1D
Europe Carmen Hurtado Esther
Latres on cell therapy, bringing
together diverse stakeholders
to explore the complexities of
advancing this innovative treatment
with support from MEP Nicolás
González Casares. Hearing from
leaders in regulatory and scientific
fields provided invaluable insights
into the path forward.
"The afternoon was equally
inspiring, as I had the honour of
contributing to a vital discussion at
the European Parliament organised
by International Diabetes Federation
Europe, hosted by MEP Andras Kulja
MD, with strong commitment from
President Roberta Metsola and Vice
President Christel Schaldemose. It
was an excellent session led by MEPs,
policymakers, healthcare leaders and
advocates who are deeply committed
to making a meaningful difference
in the lives of people living with
diabetes.
"I'm truly humbled to be part
of such a dedicated and forwardthinking community.
A heartfelt
thank you to everyone who continues
to work tirelessly to advance diabetes
care and improve outcomes for those
affected. Together, we can achieve so
much more!"
Dexcom
Jack Leach, chief operating officer at
Dexcom on WDD 2024 wrote about
stories of impact, innovation, and the
future of biosensing technology. He
said, "Last month, I was honoured
to take the stage at the HLTH 2024
event with two Dexcom Warriors
for a real conversation about how
biosensing technology has impacted
their lives.
"For many people biosensing
technology has been the cornerstone
of their diabetes management
for years. Continuous glucose
monitoring systems (CGM) have
become the standard of care for
millions around the world thanks
to the innovation Dexcom has
pioneered. After 25 years in the
industry, it was amazing to see this
technology is just now becoming
'mainstream'.
"Several factors have accelerated
CGM's path to popularity in recent
years - most notably strong clinical
evidence highlighting improved
health outcomes, and a growing
interest in wearables and metabolic
health. However, despite some
assertions, this technology is
anything but a fad - it is tackling a
massive health challenge that will
define our generation.
The good news is CGM is a
powerful tool that we've proven
through clinical data and real-world
evidence helps people living with
diabetes manage their blood glucose.
It a new era in glucose management.
No matter what, as we move forward
in this new era of biosensing, our
commitment to our users, their
caregivers, and loved ones will
remain at the forefront of everything
we do."