Lifecare participating in research project awarded EUR 3,9 million from the EUCommission for development of a bionic invisible pancreas to FORGETDIABETES. Lifecare (LIFE-ME) is a Bergen-based technology company developing a miniaturesensor for correct and continuous monitoring of diabetics’ blood sugar. Itspatented technology is also used as a central component in a rapid test forCovid-19 and as a measurement unit for reading out different biomarkers.In collaboration with six academic in Italy, France, and Germany, Lifecare hasestablished the project “FORGETDIABETES”. Its goal is to develop animmuno-optimized, fully implantable, fully automated, artificial pancreas forintraperitoneal hormone delivery, enabling an optimal glycaemic control fortype-1 diabetes patients. With the support of Lifecares sensor technology, theuser of the artificial pancreas will be supplied with the correct amount ofinsulin based on continuous measuring of blood sugar. “This is a very ambitious and exciting research project. If it succeeds, iteliminates the need for the user to measure blood sugar several times a day andcontrol insulin intake. The entire process will happen automatically, and be ahuge improvement to today’s alternatives,” says Lifecare Chief Medical OfficerKåre Birkeland.FORGETDIABETES has received EUR 3,9 million, just over NOK 43 million, from aFET-Proactive announcement under the EU funding programme for research andinnovation, Horizon 2020. The funds are partitioned on the seven parties, whereLifecare received EUR 570.000, close to NOK 6,3 million. Development,implementation and testing of the technology is estimated to take around 4,5years. “Besides the great recognition of the innovative work Lifecare and itsco-workers represent, the allocation of funds from EU funding programme forresearch and innovation constitute the beginning of a new potential developmentof a product based on our core technology,” says Lifecare CEO Joacim Holter. Lifecare is the only Norwegian company receiving funds from the EU in thisround. Previous years only two other Norwegian companies have received fundingfrom this program. “To receive funding through FET is very difficult, so the application thatLifecare delivered to the EU was excellent. The consortium that Lifecare is partof, FORGETDIABETES, is working with an exciting nano-technology with thepotential of changing the lives of millions of people if it succeeds, ” saysKristin Danielsen, Executive Director – Internationalisation and the researchsystem at The Research Council of Norway. For more information, please contact:Joacim HolterCEO, Lifecarejoacim.holter@lifecare.attme.dev+47 40 05 90 40Rune FrisvoldCOO, Lifecarerune.frisvold@lifecare.attme.dev+47 90 13 60 63Information is available at Lifecare.no; https://lifecare.webflow.io/lifecares-sensorteknologi-er-sentral-i-et-forskningsprosjekt-som-far-43-millioner-kroner-i-eu-stotteParticipants in FORGETDIABETES are:University of Padova, Italy (coordinator), Sant’ Anna School of AdvancedStudies, Italy, Lifecare AS, Norway, Pfützner Science & Health Institute,Germany, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Montpellier, France,Forschungsinstitut der Diabetes-Akademie Bad Mergentheim, Germany, and WaveComm,Italy.