Biweekly Endocrinology video recap covering key developments across care and prevention, including guideline updates, regulatory milestones, clinical progress, data releases, and technology partnerships.
🎯 Watch Our Video Summary Capturing Endocrinology News from the Last Two Weeks
Dive deeper
🗓️ Explore weekly details and sources
- Week 10–16 February 2026
- Week 17–23 February 2026
📚 See the full Endocrinology archive on our research hub page
Top Stories Covered in This Video
Chapters
0:00 Introduction
0:09 LifeScan partners with i-SENS to launch a OneTouch Vita branded CGM, starting with select European markets
0:38 Insulet expands Omnipod 5 availability across key Middle East markets and launches Omnipod Discover analytics
1:07 Karolinska Institutet links mitochondrial circular RNA circMTRNR2 to diabetic foot ulcer wound healing mechanisms
1:39 Avant Technologies rebrands as Avaí Bio, spotlighting diabetes cell therapy and encapsulation platform programs
2:01 NICE updates first line Type 2 diabetes guidance to modified release metformin plus an SGLT 2 inhibitor
2:21 FDA updates menopausal hormone therapy labels by removing several boxed warning risk statements
2:42 Portal Diabetes reports FDA Breakthrough Device designation for an implantable insulin pump system concept
3:02 PRAESIIDIUM applies physics informed AI and wearables to earlier prediabetes risk prediction tools
3:20 How to reach us
Transcript
Welcome to the latest edition of Endocrinology updates, covering breakthroughs in the past two weeks. Brought to you by LucidQuest.
LifeScan is widening its diabetes tech footprint, and CGM is becoming a core brand battlefield. LifeScan, known for OneTouch, said it serves more than 20 million users globally. It is partnering with i-SENS to launch a OneTouch Vita branded CGM system, with an initial rollout planned for early 2027 in Germany, Ireland, Portugal, and Belgium, and additional markets later.
Insulet is also pushing regional expansion, paired with ecosystem upgrades. The company said Omnipod 5 is now commercially available in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Kuwait. Omnipod 5 is described as an automated insulin delivery system that adjusts insulin delivery every five minutes. Insulet also launched Omnipod Discover, a web based data and analytics platform.
Karolinska Institutet highlighted a potential new lever in diabetic wound care biology. Researchers reported a mitochondrial circular RNA, circMTRNR2, is reduced in tissue from long standing diabetic foot ulcers. In patient tissue, human skin models, and mice, changing circMTRNR2 levels affected healing speed, linked to mitochondrial stress and fibroblast function, though human clinical benefit is not established.
Avant Technologies completed a rebrand to Avaí Bio. The company describes a focus on genetically modified cellular platforms and encapsulation technologies, and highlights diabetes cell therapy programs for type 1 and insulin dependent type 2, plus joint ventures including Insulinova and Klothonova.
In the UK, Nice updated guidance to recommend modified release metformin plus an SGLT 2 inhibitor as initial therapy for type 2 diabetes, replacing metformin alone as the typical start described in the article. This could shift sequencing and reimbursement discussions.
A report said the FDA approved labeling changes for six menopausal hormone therapy products, removing cardiovascular disease, breast cancer, and probable dementia statements from boxed warnings. The article adds FDA reviewed literature and requested proposed updates from 29 companies.
Portal Diabetes reported receiving FDA Breakthrough Device designation for its implantable Portal Pump system. The company describes a combination approach involving an implantable pump, CGM, and concentrated insulin, with early stage clinical and regulatory steps still ahead.
A Horizon Europe funded project, Praesiidium, described integrating physics informed machine learning with physiological models, clinical data, and wearable inputs to support earlier prediabetes risk prediction and research use tools for clinicians.
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Why it matters
- CGM and AID competition is widening across regions, with brand, distribution, and component supply terms becoming strategic levers (LifeScan–i-SENS; Insulet–NXP). [1], [2]
- Guideline shifts (NICE) can rapidly reshape first-line prescribing, sequencing, and reimbursement discussions for Type 2 diabetes therapies. [5]
- Mechanistic biology in diabetic wound care (circMTRNR2) is surfacing new targets, but clinical translation remains uncertain without human interventional data. [3]
- FDA labeling changes on menopausal hormone therapy may alter risk communication, counseling patterns, and utilization discussions. [6]
- Implantable, automated insulin delivery concepts (Portal Diabetes) are moving through early regulatory and clinical steps, with long lead times to pivotal evidence. [7]
🗓️ Explore weekly details and sources
- Week 10–16 February 2026
- Week 17–23 February 2026
📚 See the full Endocrinology archive on our research hub pag
FAQ
What exactly are LifeScan and i-SENS launching under OneTouch Vita?
A OneTouch Vita-branded continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) system, per LifeScan’s announcement, with initial EU launches planned for early 2027 (Germany, Ireland, Portugal, Belgium). [1]
Where is Omnipod 5 now commercially available in the Middle East, per Insulet?
The source lists the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Kuwait, and also notes Omnipod Discover, a web-based data platform. [2]
What did Karolinska Institutet report about circMTRNR2 in diabetic foot ulcers?
The institute reported circMTRNR2 is reduced in tissue from long-standing diabetic foot ulcers, and changing levels in models affected healing dynamics (mechanistic details described, clinical benefit in humans not established). [3]
What changed in NICE’s initial therapy recommendation for Type 2 diabetes?
NICE now recommends modified-release metformin plus an SGLT-2 inhibitor as initial therapy, replacing prior typical initial therapy of standard-release metformin alone (as described in the article). [5]
What did the FDA labeling update remove for menopausal hormone therapy products?
The article reports FDA removed cardiovascular disease, breast cancer, and probable dementia risk statements from boxed warnings for six menopausal hormone therapy products (product names not specified in provided text). [6]
What does FDA Breakthrough Device designation mean for Portal Diabetes’ Portal Pump (as reported)?
The source says it enables priority interactions with FDA, and may support certain coverage pathways after approval, while the device and insulin remain investigational. [7]
Entities / Keywords
LifeScan, OneTouch, OneTouch Vita, i-SENS, continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) [1]
Insulet, Omnipod 5, automated insulin delivery (AID), Omnipod Discover, NXP USA supply agreement, Middle East (UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait) [2]
Karolinska Institutet, circMTRNR2, mitochondrial circular RNA, fibroblasts, diabetic foot ulcers, wound healing, Advanced Science [3]
Avaí Bio (formerly Avant Technologies), cell-based therapy, encapsulation, Insulinova, Klothonova [4]
NICE, Type 2 diabetes, modified-release metformin, SGLT-2 inhibitors (flozins), GLP-1 receptor agonists, tirzepatide [5]
FDA, menopausal hormone therapy (MHT), hormone replacement therapy (HRT), boxed warning label changes [6]
Portal Diabetes, Portal Pump, implantable insulin pump, FDA Breakthrough Device designation, temperature-stable insulin, Phase I [7]
PRAESIIDIUM, Horizon Europe, physics-informed machine learning (PI-ML), SUPSI, IDSIA, prediabetes risk prediction, wearables [8]
References
https://www.pharmabiz.com/NewsDetails.aspx?aid=184227&sid=2
https://finviz.com/news/311308/insulet-corporation-podd-announces-strategic-expansion-and-supply-agreement-update
https://news.ki.se/mitochondrial-rna-may-contribute-to-improved-wound-healing-in-diabetes
https://www.marketwatch.com/press-release/cnw-avant-technologies-completes-rebranding-with-name-change-to-avai-bio-and-launch-of-new-website-babee01f
https://www.pharmacymagazine.co.uk/news/nice-recommends-flozins-first-line-for-type-2-diabetes
https://gulfcoastmedia.com/stories/fda-updates-menopausal-hormone-therapy-labels-removes-key-risk-warnings,315964
https://trial.medpath.com/news/3f9d852cee82ed67/portal-diabetes-receives-fda-breakthrough-designation-for-implantable-insulin-pump-system
https://www.myscience.ch/en/news/wire/physics_informed_artificial_intelligence_for_prediabetes_prevention-2026-supsi