Improving quality of life for patients with diabetes
We conduct diabetes research through two well-established programs: International Diabetes Center (IDC) and the Center for Chronic Care Innovation. These teams work together to strengthen research and improve care for people with diabetes at HealthPartners and beyond.
Our research is focused on translating new findings into patient care. We study topics such as diabetes management and intervention, nutrition, new diabetes technologies and how to improve health care for both adults and children. We also study complications and conditions related to diabetes such as high blood pressure, heart disease, neuropathy and obesity.
Investigators
Key Projects
Artificial pancreas
IDC was chosen as one of 10 sites in the world to study the Medtronic 670G hybrid closed-loop system. The system uses a continuous glucose sensor that communicates wirelessly with an insulin pump. The pump has a built-in formula that determines the amount of insulin needed to keep glucose as normal as possible. We published study results in JAMA in 2016 showing that the system was safe and effective. A few weeks later, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the first-ever hybrid closed-loop system, often called the first-generation artificial pancreas.