Today, modern therapy methods such as sensors for continuous glucose monitoring and insulin pumps are available for people with diabetes in selected countries. Nevertheless, only a small proportion of people with diabetes reach the long-term outcome parameters recommended by therapeutic guidelines of an hemoglobin A1c value <7.0%. In closed-loop systems, also known as “artificial pancreas” or “automated insulin delivery” (AID) systems, a control algorithm continuously and automatically adjusts insulin dosing of an insulin pump according to an individual’s predicted glucose levels and insulin needs.

However, research, commercial development and regulatory approval of such technologies are resource heavy, time consuming and complex. Under the mantra #WeAreNotWaiting, tech-savvy people with diabetes have therefore started building their own AID systems. Based on the principle of “paying it forward”, instructions and code needed to build and maintain these systems as well as community peer-support are freely available on open-source platforms online.

Photo: Researchers of the OPEN project

The team found that people who are using these systems not only experienced significant improvements of their physical, but also tremendous improvements in the quality of life and sleep. OPEN has moreover established an international consensus statement of 48 healthcare professionals and legal experts that provides theoretical background and practical guidance for healthcare professionals who wish to support individuals using open-source AID, which was part of the “100 years of insulin” special issue of The Lancet.

“Our research is enabling healthcare providers, academia, device manufacturers and regulators to understand open-source AID systems, that people using them feel safe, and experience a variety of positive changes related to their diabetes management, mental and physical health.” – says Dr. Shane O’Donnell, research scientist at University College Dublin and project coordinator of OPEN.

An international consortium of well-established research and patient advocacy organisations

With DCB joining the OPEN project in June 2022, the consortium now consists of 11 members, including the University College Dublin, Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Dedoc Labs GmbH, the Australian Centre for Behavioural Research in Diabetes, the University of Copenhagen, Stanford University, and King’s College London.

Visual: The OPEN consortium (Status: September 2022)

Dr. Maren Schinz, Innovation Manager at DCB says: ”DCB is a great fit as a consortium member, and we are very proud to contribute to this mutual exchange of knowledge. With OPEN being a flagship project of community involvement, it perfectly matches what we want to achieve at DCB: identifying unmet needs and translating science into real solutions to ultimately improve the lives of people with diabetes.”

About OPEN

The OPEN project consists of an international and cross-cutting and patient-led consortium that aims to build an evidence base around the impact of open-source AID systems on people with diabetes across several regions of the world.

Focus on sensors

Before taking up her new position, Lilian Witthauer was a Research Fellow at the Wellman Center for Photomedicine of the Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. In her new role as Assistant Professor, she and her team will pursue the goal of developing innovative sensor technologies that make everyday life easier for people with diabetes and improve their quality of life. Furthermore, the aim is to promote interdisciplinarity and closely link research results with practice.

“What motivates me the most is that people with diabetes can live better lives by having access to advanced sensor technologies that improve their healthcare and promote self-control and responsibility.”