MONTREAL, QC--(Marketwired - October 07, 2016) - JDRF and McGill University are pleased to announce research occurring to improve a platform designed to aid in glucose control for those living with type 1 diabetes. The artificial pancreas platform is a system of devices that closely mimics the glucose regulating function of a healthy pancreas. Dr. Ahmad Haidar was awarded $466,450 (USD) to study the effect of co-administering insulin with pramlintide (a hormone that helps regulate blood sugar) and its effect on improving the glycemic performance relative to the insulin-alone artificial pancreas.
Dr. Haidar's trial will assess the viability of the drug pramlintide used in the artificial pancreas platform to improve glucose control and better mimic the natural functionality of the pancreas. His team will assess a novel approach that delivers pramlintide during fasting (between meals) as well as after meals.
"We anticipate that the simultaneous infusion of pramlintide will help to improve glucose control, compared to other models of the artificial pancreas," said Dr. Haidar, principal investigator and Assistant Professor, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Medicine, McGill University.
"The artificial pancreas system is one of the most exciting and promising advancements that we've seen in the last few years," said Dave Prowten, president and CEO, JDRF Canada. "Dr. Haidar and his collaborators have worked for years to perfect the system and are now getting closer than ever to making it happen."
About JDRF Canada
JDRF is the leading global organization funding type 1 diabetes (T1D) research. JDRF's goal is to progressively remove the impact of T1D from people's lives until we achieve a world without T1D. JDRF collaborates with a wide spectrum of partners and is the only organization with the scientific resources, regulatory influence, and a working plan to better treat, prevent, and eventually cure T1D. As the largest charitable supporter of T1D research, JDRF is currently sponsoring $530 million in scientific research in 18 countries. For more information, please visit jdrf.ca.
About McGill University and McGill Biomedical Engineering Department
Founded in Montreal, Quebec, in 1821, McGill is a leading Canadian post-secondary institution. It has two campuses, 300 programs of study and some 40,000 students, including more than 9,400 graduate students.
McGill Biomedical Engineering Department is part of the Faculty of Medicine, and upholds a tradition of leadership and excellence. The overall mission of the Faculty and Department is to educate health-care professionals and scientists based on the highest standards of excellence, together with the pursuit of novel research and clinical innovations, to improve the health of individuals and populations worldwide.
Contact Information:
Media contact:
Emmanuel Fritsch
National Communications Specialist, JDRF Canada