Helmsley Trust Awards $3.4 Million for T1D Algorithm
From Philanthropy News Digest
The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust has announced a $3.4 million grant to Israel-based DreaMed Diabetes to test an algorithm that mimics expert clinicians’ analysis of type 1 diabetes (T1D) data.
Awarded through the trust’s Diabetes Data Innovation Initiative, the grant will support DreaMed’s MD-Logic Pump Advisor algorithm, which provides decision support with the potential to ease the burden of the disease and improve glucose control, quality of life, and health outcomes for people living with T1D. The funds will enable DreaMed to partner with Glooko, a developer of mobile and Web applications for diabetes management, to carry out an international clinical study that generates preliminary data on the safety, reliability, and efficacy of the algorithm for T1D patients treated with insulin pumps.
DreaMed will apply the algorithm to Glooko’s FDA-cleared HIPAA-compliant Web platform — which aggregates data from insulin pumps, continuous glucose monitors, blood glucose meters, fitness apps and devices, biometric devices, and a built-in food and medication database — to identify trends and make insulin dosing recommendations. The study will be conducted by the nextDREAM consortium and will be led by Professor Moshe Phillip of Schneider Children’s Medical Center of Israel. As technology advances and smart insulin pens become available in the future, decision support innovation could become increasingly accessible and have a more significant impact for a wider population of people living with T1D.
“DreaMed has the potential to play a profound role in improving therapies and the overall daily management of a relentless disease,” said David Panzirer, a trustee of the Helmsley Charitable Trust. “We are excited to support this innovative work, which presents a tremendous opportunity to aggregate data and transform it into actionable, easy-to-understand information for people managing type 1 diabetes every day.”