Researchers Publish Communications Interoperability Standards For Diabetes Devices
By Jof Enriquez,
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The JDRF Canadian Clinical Trial Network (CCTN), in association with University Health Network (UHN) in Toronto, recently published communication standards for diabetes devices that link with each other and with other controlling devices, such as smartphones and tablets.
In a statement issued recently, the JDRF said that their goal in publishing and promoting the new standards is “to enable interoperability by establishing consistent data protocols and universal understanding of device data” between diabetes devices such as insulin pumps, blood glucose meters, and continuous glucose monitors. The research foundation said that medical device manufacturers have protected their proprietary systems to the detriment of innovation in diabetes device technology. Interoperability standards will hopefully reverse that trend and hasten the development of new diabetes device technologies.
“This is a long-awaited milestone for manufacturers, researchers, and for people with diabetes,” said Dr. Cafazzo, principal investigator of the JDRF CCTN-funded project, in the statement. “There are now defined, open standards where previously none was available. This will ultimately accelerate the ability of companies to produce new technologies for the improved management of diabetes and for developing artificial pancreas systems.”
As noted in a recent Med Device Online article, artificial pancreas systems promise to be a game-changer in diabetes care for their ability to maintain significantly better glycemic control compared to conventional treatments. In the world-first clinical trial described in the article, patients experienced less hypoglycemic episodes when they used either one of two configurations of an artificial pancreas compared to conventional insulin pumps.
Diabetologists and biomedical researchers recognize the potential of artificial pancreas systems to revolutionize diabetes care, yet interoperability remains a challenge.
“Artificial pancreas systems require effective communication among pumps, sensors, and controllers, so we are very happy to at last have standard communications protocols in place,” Aaron J. Kowalski, Ph.D., vice president of JDRF Artificial Pancreas Research, said in the statement. “Now, there is one less hurdle facing the development and commercialization of artificial pancreas systems and bringing these systems to people living with type 1 diabetes.”
JDRF said in its statement that it is working with the Helmsley Charitable Trust to push for the adoption of the new standards among diabetes device manufacturers.
According to the statement, JDRF and UHN’s Centre for Global eHealth Innovation worked with stakeholders in industry, academia, and healthcare providers in developing the standards within the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineering (IEEE) Personal Health Devices Working Group.
The standards were also developed to be consistent with the recently adopted Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG) Profile for Continuous Glucose Monitoring (CGM). A recent press release from SIG stated that CGM aims to “standardize data collection, measurement and delivery for Bluetooth Smart glucose monitors.”