New Medical Partnership Can Lead to A Diabetes-Free World

The new partnership between Minnesota-run Medtronic PLC and technology colossus Samsung Electronics was settled on Friday and could lead to a diabetes-free world.

Such world will be possible with the new application designed by the two giants, which will give insulin dependent diabetics the opportunity to view and monitor their glucose level in real time, directly on their smartphones.

The partnership was introduced at the American Diabetes Association 75th Scientific Sessions and its main goal is to provide an easier life for Type-1 diabetics dependent on insulin therapy and to take of their shoulders the burden of having to constantly use their insulin pumps.

This revolutionary application will be based on the use of MedTronic’s new MiniMed 530G Connect system, which is an external insulin sensor and pump, and Android smartphones. It will help diabetics to better control their insuline intake.

“Our partnership with Samsung is a key step in providing convenient and discreet access to diabetes data, so together we can provide people with diabetes greater freedom and better health” vice president and general manager of Intensive Insulin Management at Medtronic, Alejandro Galindo, said.

The application will contain a variety of features among which alerts can be set to notify its owner if, for instance, the glucose level isn’t on the right parameters or in case the patient has forgotten to set an alarm, the application will automatically send messages to preferred contacts, such as family members or friends. Its size is also a great advantage since the MedTronic MiniMed fits perfectly in a pocket.

The challenges for the above mentioned companies aren’t few however. The hardest one would be facing the dangers of cybersecurity. Alejandro Galiano has stated that this will be immediately linked to cybersecurity affairs, so officials are now working to find a solution to this problem.

The US Food and Drug Administration has already given permission to Medtronic to connect its MiniMed diabetes management system to Android smartphones, thus the device could soon be purchased, depending on the speed with which the companies involved in the partnership will move. A pre-order on the new appointment can be placed starting from July 2015.

Another good news comes from IBM’s newly formed Watson Care Unit which will partner up with Medtronic in order to improve its products. Part of its duty would be to manage the analytic and cognitive computing processes required by the new app.

Image Source: Fox News