Tech Giant Microsoft Teams Up with the JDRF to Champion Cloud-Based Solutions for Diabetes

Twitter summary: On Jan 22, @Microsoft & @JDRF host “walking the #t1d tightrope – in the cloud” on @NightScoutProj & more

On January 22, Microsoft and JDRF will team up to host “Walking the T1D Tightrope: T1D in the Cloud,” an event dedicated to cloud-connected solutions for diabetes management that will also feature a Nightscout Installation Workshop. Patients will get assistance in setting up Nightscout, and others will be able to receive discounted access to the system. The two-hour session will be held in Microsoft’s office in Irvine, CA and feature talks from Mr. Brandon Arbiter of Tidepool and Mr. Ben West of NightScout – you can register for the event here.

The “cloud” is a term for storing data on a remote computer instead of just on one specific device. For example, sending CGM data into the cloud allows it to be accessible from multiple devices like smartphones, smart watches, and tablets. This is truly a dream for patients who like the convenience of checking their data discreetly on their phone, or for parents and partners who want to stay updated on a loved one’s glucose levels. NightScout is an unapproved system created by a grassroots group of patients that uses the cloud to send data from a Dexcom G4 Platinum receiver to an Android phone or tablet. To learn more about CGM in the cloud, please read Kerri Sparling’s personal experiences with NightScout here and our test drive of the Dexcom Share (with a comparison to NightScout) here.

It’s interesting to see Microsoft support such a grassroots campaign like NightScout, which it has also featured in a release last week titled “Open source and the cloud: Changing the lives of people with Type 1 diabetes”. Microsoft also has plans to provide up to 1,500 families with six-month “Azure passes” to offset the cost of NightScout (Azure is a web service that allows patients and caregivers to use NightScout; typically it is ~$10/month to use the service). It’s a major positive to see another technology giant engaging with diabetes, as this Microsoft news is hot on the heels this year of Google partnering with Novartis on glucose-sensing contact lenses and the speculation that Apple may also be interested in glucose monitoring. Remote monitoring is helpful for children and adults with type 1 diabetes and also for people with type 2 diabetes using insulin. Hopefully, the Microsoft and JDRF collaboration is a signal of more work to come. Please stay tuned. –NL