Hear ye! Hear ye! I have an announcement to make. About 3 months ago, a committee formed to explore the possibility of creating a new conference series for adults with type 1 diabetes. Most conferences are currently geared towards all types of diabetes, but a group of us felt there should be more for the unique challenges that are posed to adults living with type 1.

With that in mind, we are conducting an interest study for the conference. Who would you like to see at the conference? Tell us what is missing from Type 1 diabetes (besides the obvious **cure**). This will help us with programming, as well as securing sponsorships for the event. Besides giving you all you want from the latest and greatest in type 1 diabetes - you have a chance to leave your mark on this revolutionary event. At the end of the survey, there is a question about creating a name for the conference. The committee will choose the winning name. The winner will receive an autographed copy of Know Your Numbers, by Amy Tenderich and Dr. Richard Jackson. The second and third places prizes are a Six Until Me mug and a Diabetes Mine mug, donated by Kerri Morrone and Amy Tenderich.

The survey closes on Friday, September 7, 2007 so don't miss your opportunity to voice your opinion. Take the survey today!!

Thanks to nano-technology and five brilliant scholars - a once a day injection to automatically detect blood sugar and release insulin to keep it in range is on the horizon.

SmartInsulin contains nano-sized particles that release insulin in proportion to blood glucose levels. These particles slowly break down and release insulin into the blood stream, regulating the blood sugar. Once the blood sugar is at normal levels, the particles close back up. This substantially reduces the likelihood of hypos - one of the greatest concerns for diabetics. SmartInsulin will minimize insulin dosages, decrease pain due to relentless blood sugar monitoring, dramatically improve blood sugar control, and will reduce diabetic complications.

The team of 5 students, called SmartCells, won the grand prize in an Entrepreneurship Competition for its work on the monitoring device. SmartCells team member Todd Zion invented the technology as part of his Ph.D. research in chemical engineering at MIT. Zion had an additional incentive for researching this disease. "Type 1 runs in my family. There's a genetic predisposition for it," Zion said. "I also have family members who have Type 2 diabetes. It hits home a little bit closer when someone you know has the disease."

As of April 1, 2007 SmartCells, Inc. received notice that it has been awarded $394,363 in first-year funding for a multi-year Phase 1 SBIR grant from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The grant was awarded to support development and testing of multimeric aptamers for use in SmartCells' glucose-regulated insulin formulations. Multi-wha? Can someone explain to me what a multimeric aptamers is?