Revolutionizing Insulin Pumping: Cellnovo Company Update
A company that has long been in “stealth mode,” Cellnovo recently emerged with a new discreet insulin pump. Dubbed the Cellnovo 150/Cellnovo 50 (the Cellnovo 150 holds 150 units of insulin, and the 50, designed for children, holds 50 units), the pump is substantially smaller than other pumps on the market (about 1.4 in x 2.0 in x 0.6 in) and designed for wearing underneath the clothes. Most enticing, the Cellnovo has no controls and is operated by a touch-screen handheld controller, with a very similar look and feel to Apple’s iPhone – the controller includes a blood glucose meter, “texting” capabilities, and food library, setting the standard for a patient-friendly user interface. Also similar to the iPhone, the device can sense its orientation – and thus determine whether the user is standing, lying, or exercising. While the company opted not to develop a tubeless design, the tubing is very short – only about 4 in long, terminating in a standard infusion set. The pump itself consists of two parts: a disposable pump/reservoir (with a three-day lifespan) and an attached battery/electronics pack.
Though the ultimate design details of the Cellnovo pump are not finalized, the product is expected to be available in the United Kingdom (where the company is located) in early 2010; with no hurdles in the approval process, the company hopes to expand to the US and European Union before the end of 2010. We here at diaTribe will certainly be tracking its progress – for a video preview of the Cellnovo pump, visit the company’s website here.
