RESCOLL & AKIRA: two French SMI involved in SPIDIMAN, a FP7 project

Mission: To improve quality of life for adult and paediatric diabetes patients

Continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) measures interstitial glucose levels in real time rather than at discrete time points. Use of CGM improves glycaemic control, particularly after meals or exercise. Commercially available CGM systems combined with an insulin pump still require two body-interface sites, or two ports; one port for glucose monitoring, and the second for insulin delivery. Such systems require handling of two devices and two body-interfaces, which results in low acceptance, particularly by paediatric patients.

SPIDIMAN aims to provide a single-port closed- loop system of continuous glucose monitoring (CGM), insulin dose calculation and continuous insulin infusion as an “all-in-one” artificial pancreas (AP) system.

In order to provide diabetes patients—especially paediatric patients— with the advantages of tight glycaemic control, SPIDIMAN plans to overcome the limitations of current diabetes management by employing an innovative optical sensor technology that will be merged with commercial insulin infusion sets.

 Approach: Close cooperation of medicine and engineering

SPIDIMAN is an SME-targeted research project, and will strengthen existing collaborations and forge new links between research organisations, clinical institutions and device manufacturers.

Four research-focused SMEs, three universities and two research organisations have joined forces in this project to develop the SPIDIMAN single-port artificial pancreas (AP) system, and subsequently validate its ability to improve clinical management of glycaemia in a stepwise approach. In the first trial, the sensor performance will be evaluated in type 1 diabetes patients.

In the second step, the sensor will be tested in combination with the algorithm controlling the insulin infusion. The final step concerns the evaluation of the safety and efficacy of the

SPIDIMAN system in children; paediatric care will benefit more than any other group, because current diabetes management is very restrictive for children, with major impacts on quality of life.

For more information: SPIDIMAN Factsheet