Hey readers! 👋
What a week to be following T1D news! We've got stem cell research making headlines in one of the most prestigious medical journals, an automated insulin delivery system that's finally letting us skip the meal announcements (yes, really), and a heartwarming reminder that those old predictions about our lifespans were way off the mark. Grab your coffee, check your CGM, and let's dive in.
🔬 This Week's Top Story: Stem Cell-Derived Islets Show Promising Results
Stem Cell-Derived, Fully Differentiated Islets for Type 1 Diabetes published in the New England Journal of Medicine details results from a phase 1-2 study of zimislecel, an allogeneic stem cell-derived islet-cell therapy. Fourteen adults with T1D received the therapy via portal-vein infusion under glucocorticoid-free immunosuppression. – New England Journal of Medicine
The numbers are worth paying attention to: all participants showed engraftment with detectable C-peptide, and 10 of 12 participants (83%) achieved insulin independence at day 365. Perhaps equally important, all 12 participants in the main study groups were free of severe hypoglycemic events and maintained HbA1c below 7% throughout the first year.
"All 12 participants in parts B and C were free of severe hypoglycemic events and had a glycated hemoglobin level of less than 7%; these participants spent more than 70% of the time in the target glucose range."
The most common serious adverse event was neutropenia, and two deaths occurred that were unrelated to the therapy itself. This is early-stage research with a small participant group, and immunosuppression remains a significant consideration. Still, these short-term results provide meaningful data for continued investigation into restoring physiologic islet function.
🤖 AID Technology Takes a Step Forward
DBLG2 from Diabeloop Becomes the First AID Cleared by FDA and CE Mark Where Meal Announcements Are No Longer Mandatory marks a significant milestone for automated insulin delivery systems. The DBLG2 is now the first AID cleared by both the U.S. FDA and EU CE Mark that doesn't require users to announce meals. – Diabeloop
For anyone who's ever forgotten to bolus before eating (so, all of us at some point), this is genuinely exciting news. Clinical trials and real-world studies showed that optional meal declaration resulted in non-inferior Time-in-Range compared to standard use, with minimal hypoglycemia.
"Reducing the need for meal-time interventions has been a longstanding goal for automated insulin delivery systems," said Erik Huneker, co-founder and Chief Science Officer. "DBLG2's ability to adapt in real-time and correct glycemic excursions even without manual meal input offers patients flexibility in managing their diabetes."
The Time-in-Range remained statistically non-inferior to standard use where all meals are announced, and nearly 14 percentage points higher compared to usual treatment. This moves us closer to truly closed-loop systems that adapt to our bodies without constant input, reducing the mental load that comes with managing T1D every single day.
💉 Drug Delivery Innovation
BD, Ypsomed to develop new syringe for biologics announces an extended partnership to create a 5.5ml version of BD's Neopak XtraFlow glass prefillable syringe, designed for Ypsomed's YpsoMate 5.5 autoinjector platform. – Drug Delivery Business
While not T1D-specific, this development matters for our community. The new syringe features a shorter 8mm needle and thinner-walled cannula to improve flow and reduce injection time for high-volume, high-viscosity biologics. Feasibility samples are expected mid-2026.
"This next generation syringe is a direct response to the growing demand for patient-friendly solutions in the high-dose biologics space," said Patrick Jeukenne, worldwide president of BD Pharmaceutical Systems.
As more therapies require subcutaneous delivery, improvements in injection technology benefit everyone who relies on regular injections, including those of us managing diabetes.
🎙️ Community Voices: Longevity and Living Well
The Ginger and Riva Podcast: Will Type 1 Diabetes Shorten Your Lifespan? features a conversation between two long-time T1D friends discussing how perspectives on longevity have changed dramatically over the decades. – @diabetesmyths
The author reflects on being told 54 years ago that T1D would mean living 15 years less than the general population. Today, that prediction has proven wrong for many.
"Today lots of people with T1D are living long lives, even longer than those without type 1 diabetes because we tend to take care of ourselves."
This kind of perspective from people who've been managing T1D for decades is invaluable. It's a reminder that while the daily grind of diabetes management is real, the outcomes have improved dramatically, and self-care practices genuinely make a difference.
📱 Quick Hits
Stanford Medicine Type 1 Diabetes Research provides an overview of ongoing research initiatives and patient care strategies at Stanford. Worth bookmarking if you want to follow academic developments. – Stanford Medicine
mySugr App continues to offer free Pro features when paired with compatible Accu-Chek devices, including analytics dashboards and shareable reports for your healthcare team. – Roche
🧠 Beyond Diabetes: Brain Health and Exercise
MRI scans show exercise can make the brain look younger reports on a randomized clinical trial finding that 150 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous aerobic exercise per week for one year can make the brain appear nearly a year younger in adults aged 26 to 58. – ScienceDaily
"We found that a simple, guideline-based exercise program can make the brain look measurably younger over just 12 months," said Dr. Lu Wan.
For those of us already motivated to exercise for blood sugar management, here's another reason to keep moving. The study focused on midlife adults, a critical window for prevention, and interestingly, the brain age benefit wasn't explained by improvements in fitness, blood pressure, or BDNF alone, suggesting other mechanisms are at work.
That's your week in T1D news! From stem cell research showing real promise to AID systems getting smarter, the technology and science continue to advance. And as always, the community reminds us that living well with T1D is absolutely possible.
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