In the News... Omnipod updates, Tandem + Abbott, Dr. Pepper Zero recall, American Ninja and more!

It's In the News.. a look at the top headlines and stories in the diabetes community. This week's top stories: what is adaptive biobehavioral control for AID systems? Omnipod 5 launches iOS app with Dexcom G7 compatability and a comic book(?!), Tandem and Abbott announce new partnership, Katie Bone is back on American Ninja Warrior, and more!

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Episode transcription with links:

Hello and welcome to Diabetes Connections In the News! I’m Stacey Simms and every other Friday I bring you a short episode with the top diabetes stories and headlines happening now.

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The American Diabetes Association Scientific Sessions kicks off in a week – we expect as always to get a lot of information! I’m not covering in person this year, but I’ll bring you any big announcements. And we’ll do a wrap up In the News the following week.

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UVA with something new.. technology that allows an artificial pancreas system to adapt to users’ changing needs – and lets users adjust the settings – beyond what’s commercially available now. They’re calling this “adaptive biobehavioral control,” the technology helps fine-tune UVA’s artificial pancreas every two weeks, giving users a virtual tool to test different ways to manage their blood sugar using their own data. In a six-month study, participants using the technology spent more time in a healthy blood-sugar range, rising from 72% to 77%, and saw a small but meaningful drop in their average blood-sugar levels.

While automated insulin delivery systems help users better manage Type 1 diabetes, adaptive biobehavioral control technology is designed to improve blood-sugar control during the day, when fluctuations occur more frequently due to meals and physical activity.

This new technology uses “digital twins,” computer models simulating how a person’s body processes sugar. The models help the artificial pancreas keep up with changes in the user’s body and habits and give users a way to interact with the system. For example, users can try different settings, like how much insulin is released overnight, using the simulation before applying them in real life.

https://news.virginia.edu/content/uvas-artificial-pancreas-uses-digital-twin-tech-improve-diabetes-control

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Five years later after COVID-19 his the US, a new study shows that there is a connection with type 1 diabetes triggers. This is  new research from the University of Utah published in the journal ImmunoInformatics.

 

With T1D in particular, a COVID infection appears to trigger the immune system of certain people who have a prior susceptibility to the condition to subsequently develop T1D symptoms, the new study suggests.

 

University of Utah researchers hypothesize that COVID is leading to T1D diagnoses in a roundabout way as the virus presents the body with “molecular mimics,” or fragments of COVID proteins that bear an uncanny resemblance to those beta cell antigens.

 

When a person is infected with COVID, the immune system not only attacks fragments of the viral protein but also attacks fragments of beta cell antigens because they look so similar and get mistaken for each other, explains lead study author Julio Facelli, Ph.D., a distinguished professor of biomedical informatics at University of Utah Health in Salt Lake City. That means that in people who are already predisposed to T1D, there may be a simultaneous autoimmune reaction involving the destruction of healthy beta cells, spurring the onset of type 1 diabetes.

Both 2022 and 2024 research indicates that there has been a significant increase in new onset type 1 diabetes following the start of the COVID pandemic. It’s difficult to estimate just how many cases may have been triggered by COVID because numerous viruses, including rotavirus, measles, mumps, and rubella, can spark an autoimmune response that activates T1D, according to the 2022 research published in Immunology & Cell Biology.

 

Again, it’s important to note that researchers don’t believe a COVID infection is causing diabetes, but rather, triggering it, in the same way certain environmental factors are believed to trigger immune-mediated conditions like Crohn’s and psoriasis. “

 

https://www.healthcentral.com/news/type-1-diabetes/how-covid-might-trigger-t1d

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Insulet announces the Omnipod® 5 App for iPhone is now compatible with the Dexcom G7. Eric Benjamin, Insulet Executive Vice President, Chief Product and Customer Experience Officer. “With the addition of the Dexcom G7 sensor to the Omnipod 5 App for iPhone, our U.S. customers have more choice with fewer devices to keep track of, making it easier than ever to manage their diabetes.”

The Omnipod 5 App with Dexcom G7 and Dexcom G6 compatibility is now available for download on the Apple App Store.

Switching to a new Omnipod 5 device will require you to go through First Time Setup again. Insulin delivery history from previous Pods will be lost when you switch to your new device and adaptivity will start over. Use this guide and video to help transfer your settings:

Omnipod also announced a collaboration with Marvel.. on an original comic to celebrate representation for the diabetes community and empower people with diabetes to unleash their inner hero.

“Dyasonic: Sound of Strength” features Omnya, who was recently diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, struggles with her management, and is prescribed an insulin pump. Omnya learns that when her glucose levels are in range she can take on anything, and anyone, and transforms into the comic’s hero,

Dyasonic! The hope is that readers will be able to see themselves overcoming these same challenges and break mental barriers to adopting technology with the potential for improved outcomes and quality of life.

D’Spayre is a Marvel villain who preys on victims who are in despair, using their fear to strengthen himself—akin to the negative emotions that can come with diabetes.

Insulet remains dedicated to advancing diabetes technology and improving the lives of people with diabetes. For more information, please visit https://www.omnipod.com/innovation.

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Tandem is the latest partner for Abbot’s future Glucose-Ketone Sensor. New agreement to develop and commercialize integrated diabetes solutions that combine Abbott's future dual glucose-ketone sensor with Tandem's innovative insulin delivery systems to provide more options for people to manage their diabetes.

The Abbott sensor, currently under development, will combine glucose and ketone sensing technology that aims to help people living with diabetes detect early ketone rise to avoid life-threatening diabetic ketoacidosis.

Sequel Med Tech is also partnering with Abbott on this, as part of the twist pump, launching later this year.

https://www.stocktitan.net/news/TNDM/tandem-diabetes-care-announces-agreement-with-abbott-for-integration-xl1vug3c0axy.html

 

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New guidelines for the management of type 2 diabetes and prediabetes include tools clinicians can use to help patients stick to lifestyle interventions.

 

A panel of practitioners working in lifestyle medicine, including primary care physicians, cardiologists, endocrinologists, sleep experts, dietitians, and exercise medicine specialists, laid out six areas clinicians should help patients manage. These include sleep and stress, nutrition, physical activity, tobacco and alcohol, and social connection.

The guidelines, released on June 10 by the American College of Lifestyle Medicine (ACLM), largely mirror lifestyle guidelines by the American Diabetes Association (ADA) but add specifics about how clinicians can help patients achieve their goals.

Each patient should still receive tailored counseling, which may include medication

 

https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/new-guidelines-shift-diabetes-care-toward-behavior-2025a1000fht

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Microplastics from a widely used biodegradable material can enter the metabolic cycle of bacteria and cells in the gut after being ingested, a new study has found.

Researchers in China and the United States said the microplastics – from polylactic acid – were found to alter the gut metabolism and damage the gut barrier of mice.

 

They said this could potentially contribute to conditions like inflammatory bowel disease and diabetes.

In recent years, microplastics have been found in human lungs, kidneys, blood, placenta and breast milk.

 

https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3313412/microplastics-biodegradable-material-may-be-linked-diabetes-study-finds

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​​Over 19,000 cases of Dr Pepper Zero Sugar are being recalled after the cans were found to contain full-sugar soda, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced.

The voluntary recall, initiated May 23, affects 12-pack and 24-pack cases of the 12-ounce aluminum cans that are labeled “Dr Pepper Zero Sugar.” Despite the label, the drinks inside contain the same amount of sugar found in regular Dr Pepper — about 39 grams per can — posing a health risk for people with diabetes or anyone needing to limit sugar intake.

On Thursday, June 5, the FDA officially classified the recall as Class II, meaning the product “may cause temporary or medically reversible adverse health consequences."

DR PEPPER ZERO SUGAR - 12 OZ, 12 PK

DR PEPPER ZERO SUGAR - 12 OZ, 12 PK.

 Amazon

Consumers can identify the recalled cases by the product code, which is listed as  XXXXRS05165, and the "best by" date of Feb. 16, 2026

 

No other Dr Pepper products or batches of Dr Pepper Zero Sugar are part of the recall.

https://people.com/dr-pepper-recall-sugar-found-in-zero-sugar-cans-11750981

 

 

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A step forward for a device that uses breath to gather information about blood sugar. It’s called Isaac, the company is PreEvnt, you wear it on a lanyard and breathe into it.

The breathalyzer technology was developed in collaboration with the Integrated Nanosystems Development Institute at IU Indianapolis, and was inspired by diabetes alert dogs.

"Our lab was able to successfully identify the specific molecules in breath that correlate with hypoglycemia, which is the 'scent' that diabetic alert dogs can detect," said Mangilal Agarwal, director of the Integrated Nanosystems Development Institute and a professor in the IU Luddy School of Informatics, Computing and Engineering at IU Indianapolis.

Agarwal's lab is partnering with the IU School of Medicine to test and validate the effectiveness of the device in individuals with diabetes—an important next step on the path to wider commercialization.

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-06-breathalyzer-device-diabetes.html#google_vignette

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Katie Bone is back on American Ninja Warrior! The youngest ever American Ninja Warrior Women’s National winner, she injured her knee at Olympic Climbing Trials in 2023. This week, she was back on the show.

She says:

Katie Bone: It was incredible. I’ve not been able to compete for a few years, so getting to come back and hit a buzzer on my first chance back on the course felt really, really incredible; Very rewarding after everything I had to go through to get back there.

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