JDRF Through The Joint JDRF-Helmsley Charitable Trust Initiative Partners With Medtronic To Advance Continuous Glucose Monitoring Towards Artificial Pancreas Systems

-- Partnership Announced Between Leaders of Artificial Pancreas Research and Development to Develop Novel Redundant Sensor System to Help Improve Glucose Control for People with Diabetes --

NEW YORK, June 1, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- JDRF in collaboration with the Helmsley Charitable Trust (HCT) announced today a partnership with Medtronic, Inc. (NYSE:MDT), a leader in artificial pancreas research and development. The JDRF-HCT Sensor Initiative aims to advance continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) accuracy and reliability towards the next generation artificial pancreas systems.

The goal of the partnership is to accelerate the development of Medtronic's novel redundant sensor system which combines two unique sensing technologies in one device. This major technological advance was awarded funding support from the JDRF-Helmsley Charitable Trust collaboration's Sensor Initiative. The JDRF-HCT Sensor Initiative was launched to accelerate the development and delivery of more accurate and reliable continuous glucose sensors. Continuous glucose sensors hold the potential to drive towards the development of future artificial pancreas systems for people with diabetes. Today's CGM devices have significantly helped improve glucose control in people with type 1 diabetes. Next generation sensors will provide improved accuracy and reliability, which will allow for more aggressive insulin management and support towards the development of automated artificial pancreas systems.

"Accurate and reliable sensor technology has long been identified as a necessity for the realization of an artificial pancreas. Medtronic's development of an orthogonally redundant sensor system will greatly accelerate this path," said Jeffrey Brewer, President and Chief Executive Officer of JDRF. "We are excited to bring our long-standing partnership with Medtronic to a new level through this Sensor Initiative, which could improve the outcomes of people with diabetes."

"The Helmsley Charitable Trust is committed to easing the burden and improving the quality of life of those living with type 1 diabetes; this collaboration provides the opportunity to accelerate the development of more accurate, effective tools to support day-to-day insulin management, which would accomplish both of our objectives," said David Panzirer, Trustee, Helmsley Charitable Trust. 

The orthogonally redundant sensor system will combine an electrochemical sensor – scientifically referred to as a glucose oxidase (GOX) sensor and the commonly used technology in CGM systems – with an optical sensor, to provide accurate, glucose values. By combining two distinctive measurement technologies, the two sensors function as a "check and balance" to enable true redundancy to ensure safe and reliable glucose measurements for an artificial pancreas system.

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