The First Regulatory Clearance of an Open-Source Automated Insulin Delivery Algorithm

Abstract

Open-source Automated Insulin Dosing (OS-AID) algorithms are made publicly accessible so that every facet of their operation can be understood. Currently, commercial AID algorithms are kept proprietary trade secrets, despite the role they take in making life and death decisions for people living with type 1 diabetes. Loop was the second OS-AID algorithm, developed initially by Nate Racklyeft and Pete Schwamb. In 2018, the nonprofit organization Tidepool (Palo Alto, CA) announced the launch of the “Tidepool Loop” initiative with the aim to generate real-world evidence and obtain regulatory clearance. By the end of 2020, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration received Tidepool’s application for an interoperable automated glycemic controller based on Loop. After 2 years, the FDA approved the Tidepool Loop on January 23, 2023.