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DEKA Research & Development, developer of the new twiist® Automated Insulin Delivery (AID) system, has acquired the core assets and intellectual property of Diatech Diabetes, a medical device company developing technology to improve the safety of insulin infusion for people living with diabetes. The deal involves DEKA’s ownership of Diatech’s proprietary technology and the hiring of select Diatech leadership.
“We are excited to bring Diatech’s technology and team into DEKA,” said Dean Kamen, Founder and President of DEKA Research and Development. “Their work on insulin infusion systems strongly aligns with our development of safe and accurate diabetes technology.”
Diatech received a research award from Breakthrough T1D’s Industry Discovery & Development Partnership (IDDP) program in 2023. Breakthrough T1D also previously supported the development of the FDA-cleared DEKA Loop algorithm which powers the twiist® AID system, through a grant to Tidepool. “This exciting news reflects an important goal of Breakthrough T1D’s IDDP program, which is to catalyze partnerships so safer and smarter solutions for people with type 1 diabetes can be accelerated,” said Jonathan Rosen, Ph.D., Research Director at Breakthrough T1D.
The work of Diatech’s co-founders is driven by their personal connection to diabetes. John Wilcox, Chief Executive Officer, has lived with the condition for 20 years, while Luis E. Blanco, Chief Technology Officer, has both a mother and stepfather living with type 1 diabetes.
“As insulin pumps become increasingly automated and diabetes devices are worn longer on the body, the need to ensure accurate insulin delivery is now more important than ever. Our work aligns directly with DEKA, and we share a common mission to make insulin delivery safer and more reliable.” said John Wilcox, CEO of Diatech Diabetes.
DEKA Research & Development Corp., headquartered in Manchester, NH, is a technology development organization founded in 1982 by Dean Kamen, inventor of the first portable insulin pump. The company is known for building advanced medical technologies, including the FDA-cleared twiist® insulin pump, which introduces a new approach to insulin dosing and drug infusion. The twiist® insulin pump utilizes iiSure™ Technology, a system that can detect insulin flow issues up to nine times faster than other AID systems, potentially leading to improved glycemic control and reduced risk of complications.
Diatech Diabetes, Inc., has been developing SmartFusion®, a software platform that monitors for medication delivery failure in infusion pumps. When integrated with an insulin pump, the SmartFusion® mobile app and algorithm measures the accuracy of daily insulin delivery, generates alerts when a failure occurs with the pump’s connected infusion site, and provides data to manage the 24/7 wear of the device on the body. The technology’s development has been supported by funding awards from Breakthrough T1D, The Consortium for Technology & Innovation in Pediatrics (CTIP), and the National Institutes of Health (NIH-NIDDK). SmartFusion® and Diatech’s related technology are currently in development and not commercially available.
As the leading global type 1 diabetes research and advocacy organization, Breakthrough T1D helps make everyday life with type 1 diabetes better while driving toward cures. We do this by investing in the most promising research, advocating for progress by working with the government to address issues that impact the T1D community, and helping educate and empower individuals facing this condition.
DEKA Research & Development Corp: tbolzan@dekaresearch.com.