CES 2019: This mobile handset aims to simplify type 1 diabetes management
The DBLG1 System links a continuous glucose monitor, a patch insulin pump and a handset to automatically administer insulin.
- Named a Tech Media Trailblazer by the Consumer Technology Association in 2019, a winner of SPJ NorCal's Excellence in Journalism Awards in 2022 and has three times been a finalist in the LA Press Club's National Arts & Entertainment Journalism Awards.
The DBLG1 System aims to automate type 1 diabetes management.
Diabetes can be a hassle to manage, but a new product wants to simplify the process by automatically delivering insulin to patients when it's needed.
The DBLG1 System, by French company Diabeloop, links a continuous glucose monitor and patch insulin pump with a handset resembling cell phone. Every five minutes, a glucose measurement is sent via Bluetooth to that handset. An algorithm then analyzes the data in real time, taking into account the patient's physiology, history and data entries on meals or exercise to figure out how much insulin to administer. The system is designed for adults with type 1 diabetes.
More than 30 million Americans have diabetes, according to 2015 data from the American Diabetes Association. Of those people, around 1.25 million have type 1 diabetes. Patients often have to prick their fingers to measure their blood sugar and calculate insulin doses. But technology is helping to facilitate diabetes management by making it more automatic and precise.
Products like the Glooko's Mobile Insulin Dosing System, which was FDA cleared last year, can directly access a patient's blood glucose data from a glucose meter, cutting the need to manually enter fasting blood glucose levels. Other tools, like the Dexcom G6 -- the continuous glucose monitor incorporated into Diabeloop's DBLG1 System -- wirelessly sends a person's blood sugar readings to an app as often as every five minutes. The wireless Kaleido pump, the third component of the DBLG1 System, pledges to deliver consistent and accurate insulin doses to wearers.
Diabeloop CEO Marc Julien said the company's goal is to help patients not constantly worry about managing their diabetes. The company exhibited its product at CES on Sunday.
"The patient doesn't have to do anything anymore," Julien said. "It's all automated."
The DBLG1 System recieved a CE marking in November, meaning it can be sold in Europe. In order for that to happen, Julien said, Diabeloop is now pushing for insurance companies to include the technology in their systems.
CES 2019: Every story so far: See all of CNET's coverage of the year's biggest tech show.
CES 2019 schedule: It's six days of jam-packed events. Here's what to expect.