July 1, 2025 – The NIDDK 75th Anniversary Collection on the Artificial Pancreas edited by Boris Kovatchev, PhD., Director of the UVA Center for Diabetes Technology and Francis Doyle III, PhD., Harvard University.
On August 15, 2025, we celebrated the 75th anniversary of the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). This symposium is a collection of six articles, highlighting the development and clinical translation of the artificial pancreas (AP) — a landmark achievement in the treatment of diabetes, to a significant extent due to the critical support of NIDDK and the Institute’s Special Diabetes Program — a statutory funding program that began in 1998, focusing on basic, translational, and clinical research for the prevention and cure of type 1 diabetes (T1D). Over two decades, the AP grew from a disputed idea in 2005, to the standard of care for T1D today, improving the lives of those who struggle daily with this condition. The symposium is also part of a series of publications on a variety of relevant topics highlighting NIDDK-supported research contributions as the institute celebrates its 75th anniversary. All articles are written by those who had prominent contributions to the science, engineering, and clinical testing of the AP technology.
The collection includes an article on the hardware components of the AP — CGM and insulin pumps,1 as well as an article on the metabolic models, in silico preclinical trials, and algorithms that integrated the components in what is now known as AP system.2 The clinical testing and translation of the AP are reflected by two articles — one on early studies3 and another on pivotal registration trials, which earned FDA clearance to the systems currently in use.4 Finally, two articles discuss the challenges and opportunities to AP research5 and the practical considerations for widespread AP use in the treatment of diabetes.6 As pointed out in the beginning, the focus of this collection is more on academic than industrial developments, and in particular highlights the contributions of NIDDK and organizations such as Breakthrough T1D and the Helmsley Charitable Trust, which drove the creation and validation for clinical use of several viable AP systems.