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Permalink Reply by still_young_at_heart on June 12, 2012 at 5:15pm

The studies on closed loop systems are at a very early stage where researchers are simply trying to see whether their algorithms can keep someone from going hyper or hypo when given a challenging meal and when sleeping over night. Subjects are kept in controlled environments and under tight watch. They aren't anywhere near the stage that you would think of as a clinical trial.

I used the term closed loop system because I think describing these systems as an "artificial pancreas" is more marketing than reality.

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Permalink Reply by Gary on June 12, 2012 at 5:36pm

I'll gladly pay for my AP with artificial money. Screw that thing, its nothing more then a pipe dream that manufacturers are hoping to cash in on. We need a biological fix not a bunch of machinery "do it right or don't do it at all"!

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Permalink Reply by acidrock23 on June 12, 2012 at 6:06pm

There's a good link to an account of a participant in a closed loop trial here:

http://sixuntilme.com/blog2/2011/12/from_abby_closed_loop_trial.html

That doesn't make it sound really promising. Stuff like "vomited for 2 hours" and "cut short by vomit" [so the threshold his > 2 hours?] make me question the practicality of the gizmo?

I have offered before to bet $100 that I can beat any researcher's artificial pancreas w/ my current rig.

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Permalink Reply by still_young_at_heart on June 12, 2012 at 6:40pm

Yes, certainly in the beginning. There was a British International Chess Master who bet that he could beat any chess program and he was able to so for quite some time but eventually those programs actually reached top grandmaster level. At some point, the closed loop systems will have programing that does a better job than any of us. But one cannot make plans based on "at some point".

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Permalink Reply by acidrock23 on June 12, 2012 at 6:47pm

I'm not sure about "at some point" since the scientists developing the gizmos are limited by docgtors and lawyers as to what they are allowed to aim at. Without any limitations, I'm pretty confident! ;-)

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Permalink Reply by jrtpup on June 13, 2012 at 4:20am

I have to agree that you'd win, but I *do* wish you'd lose!

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Permalink Reply by acidrock23 on June 13, 2012 at 4:37am

LOL, yeah, if they win, I'll buy one!!

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Permalink Reply by EllasMom on June 12, 2012 at 8:01pm

Do a search on clinicaltrials.gov

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Permalink Reply by Timothy on June 13, 2012 at 4:14am

I was all set to go on this through a Private research company in Long Beach California.
I was supposed to start with 1 MONTH in the hospital. I figured I could possibly swing it with work but the family thing was going to be tough, After I agreed to enter the program, they called me back and said that they didn't get the contract. This was a 2 year study. It sounded like a Phase 2 trial not a phase 1 since It was for 2 years.

In any case it did not happen for me this time. I am still looking around.

I find that if you get into a study , then you will be the first they call the next time.

I did an inhaled insulin study about 10 years ago and they still call me for things all the time related to diabetes.

In any case I did see the set up for it.
It was the exact same set up I already have, A MM REVEL pump and sensor. Only this required wearing 2 sensors at one time. And hard wired to a MAC laptop from the pump to the computer. 2 YEARS ATTACHED TO A LAP TOP !! and I VOLUNTEERED !

No telling if it was going to kill me either, I can not see any reason they could not fit the computer into a pump once the kinks are worked out.

It already costs $6000 for an insulin pump. I can not imagine what this will cost us, but of course we will all pay it if it works. IF we can afford it.

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