the artificial pancreas is a technology in development to help people with diabetes automatically control their blood glucose level by providing the substitute endocrine functionality of a healthy pancreas .

there are several important exocrine ( digestive ) and endocrine ( hormonal ) functions of the pancreas , but it is the lack of insulin production which is the motivation to develop a substitute .

while the current state of insulin replacement therapy is appreciated for its life-saving capability , the task of manually managing the blood sugar level with insulin alone is arduous and inadequate .

the goal of the artificial pancreas is two-fold : to improve insulin replacement therapy until glycemic control is practically normal as evident by the avoidance of the complications of hyperglycemia , and to ease the burden of therapy for the insulin-dependent .

different approaches under consideration include : the medical equipment approach — using an insulin pump under closed loop control using real-time data from a continuous blood glucose sensor .

the bioengineering approach — the development of a bio-artificial pancreas consisting of a biocompatible sheet of encapsulated beta cells .

when surgically implanted , the islet sheet will behave as the endocrine pancreas and will be viable for years .

the gene therapy approach — the therapeutic infection of a diabetic person by a genetically engineered virus which causes a dna change of intestinal cells to become insulin-producing cells .

artificial pancreas

an artificial pancreas uses man - made technology to match the way a pancreas works .
the most widely tested artificial pancreas is a ‘closed - loop insulin delivery system’ , also referred to as a closed loop artificial pancreas .
there was no significant difference in blood glucose control or hypoglycemia between the single - hormone artificial pancreas and the dual - hormone artificial pancreas .
this study concluded that a single - and dual - hormone artificial pancreas improved glucose control at night . however , the dual - hormone artificial pancreas is not more effective than the single - hormone artificial pancreas in controlling glucose levels .
the artificial pancreas device system is a system of devices that closely mimics the glucose regulating function of a healthy pancreas .
the artificial pancreas : current status and future prospects in the management of diabetes .
the 6 developmental stages of artificial pancreas device systems ( copyright jdrf ) . 5
summary of the closed - loop artificial pancreas device ( apd ) systems identified .
[ physiopathology of diabetes and the artificial endocrine pancreas ] . - pubmed - ncbi
bioengineering in development of the hybrid artificial pancreas . | harvard catalyst profiles | harvard catalyst
. ; international artificial pancreas study group . fully integrated artificial pancreas in type 1 diabetes : modular closed - loop glucose control maintains near normoglycemia . diabetes 2012 ; 61 : 2230–2237
this study compared the effect of a dual - hormone artificial pancreas , a single - hormone artificial pancreas and a regular insulin pump on control of blood glucose levels at night .
breton m , farret a , bruttomesso d , et al . international artificial pancreas study group
artificial pancreas clinical trials open | harvard john a . paulson school of engineering and applied sciences
single - and dual - hormone artificial pancreas for overnight glucose control in type 1 diabetes .
in ongoing artificial - pancreas research , this modified smartphone sends commands to an insulin pump .
perioperative intensive insulin therapy using artificial endocrine pancreas in patients undergoing pancreatectomy . - pubmed - ncbi
stg - 22 , a bedside - type artificial endocrine pancreas system with closed - loop .
this interim analysis showed that an artificial pancreas can robustly reduce hypoglycemia overnight in the home setting .
patients were prospectively randomized . perioperative blood glucose levels were continuously monitored using an artificial endocrine pancreas ( stg - 22 ) . glucose levels were controlled using either the sliding scale method ( sliding scale group , n = 13 ) or the artificial pancreas ( artificial pancreas group , n = 17 ) .
the bio - inspired artificial pancreas – biap – is attached to the abdomen via a thin tube .
the artificial pancreas : current status and future prospects in the management of diabetes . - pubmed - ncbi
a successful artificial pancreas would be a life - changing advance for many people with type 1 diabetes .
. ; ap @ home consortium . mpc based artificial pancreas : strategies for individualization and meal compensation .
. the artificial pancreas is still undergoing clinical trials , and is not currently used in diabetic patients .
kono thanazaki kyazawa k et al . pancreatic polypeptide administration reduces insulin requirements of artificial pancreas in pancreatectomized dogs .
cite this article : the first fda - approved artificial pancreas system - medscape - jan 11 , 2017 .
14 participants receiving regular insulin pump therapy experienced hypoglycemia ( dangerously low blood glucose levels ) . 6 participants receiving the single - hormone artificial pancreas experienced hypoglycemia . 3 participants receiving the dual - hormone artificial pancreas experienced hypoglycemia .
this seems due to the challenging daytime circumstances with glucose perturbations due to physical activity and carbohydrate intake during meals and snacks . consequently , depending on the user - friendliness of the first commercialized artificial pancreas systems , artificial pancreas - when - at - home could be considered as a concept for first commercial introduction of the artificial pancreas .
an artificial pancreas is a man - made device that is designed to release insulin in response to changing blood glucose levels in a similar way to a human pancreas .
the illustration below describes the parts of a type of artificial pancreas device system and shows how they work together .
bequette bw . a critical assessment of algorithms and challenges in the development of a closed - loop artificial pancreas .
when discussing the project , kovatchev cited the multi - disciplinary collaboration necessary to make the artificial pancreas a reality .
day and night use of a bihormonal artificial pancreas system has been shown to reduce both mean glycemia and hypoglycemia .
] showed that an artificial pancreas can reduce mean glucose overnight in the home setting without an increase in hypoglycemia .
artificial pancreas to undergo long - term clinical tests | harvard john a . paulson school of engineering and applied sciences
kropff j , devries jh . continuous glucose monitoring , future products , and update on worldwide artificial pancreas projects .
these studies will help to make the artificial pancreas a reality . a safe and effective artificial pancreas will be a game - changer for treating type 1 diabetes , lifting the burden of managing this condition from patients and their families .
artificial pancreas systems are being studied as a possible treatment option for people with type 1 diabetes and type 2 diabetes .
continuous postoperative blood glucose monitoring and control by artificial pancreas in patients having pancreatic resection : a prospective randomized clinical trial .
hovorka r , wilinska me , chassin lj , acerini cl , dunger db . the artificial pancreas : making headway .
this study is the first to directly compare insulin - only and bihormonal artificial pancreas devices in a research ward setting .
one needs to look no further than the biotech companies working to develop an artificial pancreas / closed - loop system .
this study examined whether the combination of glucagon and insulin in an artificial pancreas is more effective compared to insulin alone .
artificial pancreas : 1 . glucose levels monitored continuously 2 . required insulin dose calculated 3 . insulin does delivered automatically .
the objective of this study is to investigate 1 ) if announcing postprandial exercise to the artificial pancreas is beneficial in reducing the risk of hypoglycemia and 2 ) if an insulin bolus reduction is necessary when announcing the exercise to the artificial pancreas .
may 23 , 2017 in al . com , “ alabamian with diabetes built her own artificial pancreas , gives code away “
this blog post is the first in a series detailing what i will call “the magical control of the artificial pancreas . ”
doyle fj , huyett lm , lee jb , et al . closed - loop artificial pancreas systems : engineering the algorithms .
haidar a , smaoui mr , legault l , rabasa - lhoret r . the role of glucagon in the artificial pancreas .
o’keeffe dt , maraka s , basu a , keith - hynes p , kudva yc . cybersecurity in artificial pancreas experiments .
this collaboration is the latest development within jdrf ' s artificial pancreas project , and stems from the progress made since 2006 in the jdrf - funded artificial pancreas consortium , a group of university - based mathematicians , engineers and diabetes experts that has developed the computer programs needed for an artificial pancreas , and established its scientific feasibility . these academic studies within the artificial pancreas project are an excellent complement , and essential to jdrf ' s work with industry participants to develop first - generation systems . jdrf announced the first major non - exclusive industry initiatives of the artificial pancreas project in january 2010 , when it entered into a non - exclusive partnership with animas , a johnson & johnson company , to develop a first - generation artificial pancreas system .
the fda ' s guidance , the content of investigational device exemption ( ide ) and premarket approval ( pma ) applications for artificial pancreas device systems , addresses requirements for clinical studies and premarket approval applications for and artificial pancreas device system , and provided a flexible regulatory approach to support the rapid , safe and effective development of artificial pancreas device systems . ( see below ) .
further optimization concerning both algorithm and devices could enable the artificial pancreas becoming a promising future therapeutic option for people with type 1 diabetes . read more about profil expertise in the area of artificial pancreas , or read more ont he ap @ home project .
diabetes uk is proud to be funding groundbreaking research aimed at developing and testing an artificial pancreas for adults with type 1 diabetes .
perioperative use of an artificial endocrine pancreas to control pancreatogenic diabetes after pancreatic resection is an easy and effective way to maintain near - normal blood glucose levels . the artificial pancreas shows promise for use as insulin treatment for patients with pancreatogenic diabetes after pancreatic resection .
keenan db , cartaya r , mastrototaro jj . the pathway to the closed - loop artificial pancreas : research and commercial perspectives .
phillip m , battelino t , atlas e , et al . nocturnal glucose control with an artificial pancreas at a diabetes camp .
the artificial pancreas is composed of three components : glucose sensor to read glucose levels , insulin pump to infuse insulin and a dosing mathematical algorithm to decide on the required insulin dosages based on the sensor ' s readings . the artificial pancreas has the potential to reduce the risk of exercise - induced hypoglycemia but the importance of announcing exercise to the artificial pancreas is yet to be explored .
ap , artificial pancreas ; fda , us food and drug administration ; gmp , good manufacturing practices ; sh , severe hypoglycemia .
this system , which is worn like an insulin pump , has been termed the ' artificial pancreas ' because it monitors and adjusts insulin levels just as the pancreas does in people without diabetes .
haidar a , legault l , messier v , et al . comparison of dual - hormone artificial pancreas , single - hormone artificial pancreas , and conventional insulin pump therapy for glycaemic control in patients with type 1 diabetes : an open - label randomised controlled crossover trial .
instead , the artificial pancreas is designed to oversee and adjust insulin delivery as needed . at the center of the artificial pancreas platform – known as incontrol – is a reconfigured smartphone running advanced algorithms that is linked wirelessly to a blood - sugar monitor and an insulin pump that the patient wears , as well as a remote - monitoring site . people with the artificial pancreas can also access assistance via telemedicine .
the open artificial pancreas system project ( # openaps ) is an open and transparent effort to make safe and effective basic artificial pancreas system ( aps ) technology widely available to more quickly improve and save as many lives as possible and reduce the burden of type 1 diabetes .
breton m , farret a , bruttomesso d , anderson s , et al ; international artificial pancreas study group . fully integrated artificial pancreas in type 1 diabetes : modular closed - loop glucose control maintains near normoglycemia . diabetes . 2012 ; 61 ( 9 ) : 2230–2237 .
pancreas transplantation continues to evolve as a strategy in the management of diabetes mellitus . in most cases , pancreas transplantation is performed on individuals with t1d with end - stage renal disease . the majority of pancreas transplantations ( > 90 % ) are simultaneous pancreas - kidney transplantations
continuous postoperative blood glucose monitoring and control by artificial pancreas in patients having pancreatic resection : a prospective randomi . . . - pubmed - ncbi
provides an overview of currently ongoing studies , investigating longer - duration artificial pancreas use and use in specific patient groups like adolescents and children .
, et al . overnight closed loop insulin delivery ( artificial pancreas ) in adults with type 1 diabetes : crossover randomised controlled studies . bmj
del favero s , bruttomesso d , di palma f , et al . first use of model predictive control in outpatient wearable artificial pancreas .
a full - year trial of an artificial pancreas for youth aged 6 - 18 will begin this year at the university of cambridge in england . the study seeks to enroll 130 youth for a full year of use of an artificial pancreas system that uses a smartphone as one component .
in 2016 human trials are due to start on an artificial pancreas created at de montfort university in leicester which can be inserted into the body .
okabayashi t , nishimori i , yamashita k , et al . continuous postoperative blood glucose monitoring and control by artificial pancreas in patients having pancreatic resection
and of course , check out medivizor’s library : here’s a link for medical journal summaries on insulin pumps , continuous glucose monitors and artificial pancreas .
uk research team : cambridge university ( cambridge enterprise ) . part of the jdrf artificial pancreas project ( app ) consortium and ap @ home consortium
peyser t , dassau e , breton m , skyler js . the artificial pancreas : current status and future prospects in the management of diabetes .
kudva yc , carter re , cobelli c , et al . closed - loop artificial pancreas systems : physiological input to enhance next generation devices .
haidar a , legault l , matteau - pelletier l , et al . outpatient overnight glucose control with dual - hormone artificial pancreas , single - hormone artificial pancreas , or conventional insulin pump therapy in children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes : an open - label , randomised controlled trial .
in 2016 , her team showed that the artificial pancreas is safe and effective for pregnant women to use in a home setting . 16 women used the device for a month , and then 14 of them chose to continue using the artificial pancreas for the rest of their pregnancy and during birth .
more information about the jdrf artificial pancreas project can be found online at urltoken the site includes information for people with type 1 diabetes about research leading to the development of an artificial pancreas , as well as interactive tools , project timelines , chats with researchers and access to information about clinical trials .
for edward damiano , phd , a biomedical engineer , developing the artificial pancreas is
a race against time .
damiano has a son with type 1 diabetes and wants to send him off to college in 2017 equipped with an artificial pancreas . though other researchers may not have as specific a target date as damiano , scientists around the globe are focused on bringing the artificial pancreas to people whose lives will be forever changed by this technology .
a new device for diabetes care reduces risks of automated insulin control . it’s the closest thing on the market to the long - sought artificial pancreas .
day and night use of insulin - only artificial pancreas systems has been shown to reduce mean glycemia or hypoglycemia but not both in the same trial .
, the realisation of a successful , fully automated artificial pancreas is a dearly held dream ,
said niddk director dr . griffin p . rodgers .
artificial pancreas systems aren’t an option for most diabetics , however . efforts today focus on treating type 1 diabetics , whose pancreas produces little or no insulin . type 1 patients make up no more than 10 % of all diabetics .
in 2016 , the european commission announced it will fund a cambridge university trial testing test whether an artificial pancreas can help young children manage type 1 diabetes .
el - khatib fh , russell sj , nathan dm , sutherlin rg , damiano er . a bihormonal closed - loop artificial pancreas for type 1 diabetes .
total insulin requirement of the sliding scale ( n = 13 ) and artificial pancreas ( n = 17 ) groups after pancreatic surgery . p < . 01 .
kovatchev bp , renard e , cobelli c , et al . safety of outpatient closed - loop control : first randomized crossover trials of a wearable artificial pancreas .
van bon ac , brouwer tb , von basum g , hoekstra jb , devries jh . future acceptance of an artificial pancreas in adults with type 1 diabetes .
trevitt s , simpson s , wood a . artificial pancreas device systems for the closed - loop control of type 1 diabetes : what systems are in development ?
now scientists have developed an artificial pancreas that uses a computer programme to balance sugar levels in the body and could help patients maintain near - normal sugar levels .
until very recently , artificial - pancreas studies were conducted exclusively within the confines of hospitals . the computer programs that ran the experimental devices were housed on laptop computers , with wires snaking between participants ' pumps and cgms . in the first studies , an artificial pancreas wasn ' t even enabled to directly dose insulin . instead , for extra safety , a nurse or doctor would check the laptop to see what insulin dose the artificial pancreas calculated and manually enter dosing instructions for the pump .
the eventual , ultimate goal of the jdrf artificial pancreas project is speeding the development of automated diabetes management systems . the goal of an artificial pancreas has also been embraced by the u . s . food and drug administration , which , along with jdrf and the national institutes of health , brought together scientists , regulators , industry and patients for scientific workshops on the subject in 2005 and 2008 ; the fda has designated an artificial pancreas as one of its
critical path
initiatives .
for those who find themselves to be candidates for an artificial pancreas , the experience stands to be far more life - changing than simply eliminating the discomfort of finger - prick tests . indeed , an artificial pancreas can take charge of care . and one day they may have the luxury of being squeamish about needles , too .
in the future , kovatchev intends to continue working with the artificial pancreas by releasing newer generations of the system . he also hopes to extend its capabilities to serve people with type 2 diabetes , as well as to transform the artificial pancreas into a digital health ecosystem — allowing comparison of patient data with genetic and medical records .
artificial pancreas systems have become a hot topic of news in the last few years . catch up on some of the biggest stories in this area of diabetes treatment .
diabetes uk - funded researchers are currently working to tailor the artificial pancreas system for adults with type 1 diabetes , and for women with type 1 diabetes during pregnancy .
the juvenile diabetes research foundation ( jdrf ) launched its artificial pancreas project six years ago to stimulate the development of a practical , mechanical , and artificial pancreas . the jdrf formed a global consortium of academic and government researchers and private corporations to carry out an orchestrated research and development agenda leading toward a functioning first - generation device .
colton ck , avgoustiniatos es . bioengineering in development of the hybrid artificial pancreas . j biomech eng . 1991 may ; 113 ( 2 ) : 152 - 70 .
bakhtiani pa , zhao lm , el youssef j , castle jr , ward wk . a review of artificial pancreas technologies with an emphasis on bi - hormonal therapy .
researchers and manufacturers are developing three main categories of artificial pancreas delivery systems . they differ in how the insulin pump acts on readings from the continuous glucose monitoring system .
animas corporation urltoken is supplying its insulin delivery products to ucsb / sansum and will be supplying them through the animas investigator initiated study program to other members of the artificial pancreas consortium , which comprises those teams participating in jdrf ' s artificial pancreas project . the artificial pancreas system ( aps ) platform was developed in santa barbara by ucsb in collaboration with sansum , and is being used by researchers around the world . the insulin delivery products provided by animas seamlessly configure with ucsb / sansum ' s aps .
longer free - living , home use trials without restrictions on diet and activity will be necessary to evaluate the relative merits of insulin - only and bihormonal artificial pancreas systems .
the artificial pancreas is designed to oversee and adjust insulin delivery as needed . it uses a platform that features a reconfigured smartphone running advanced algorithms that is linked wirelessly to a blood - sugar monitor and an insulin pump that the patient wears , as well as a remote - monitoring site . artificial pancreas users can also access assistance via telemedicine .
barnard kd , pinsker je , oliver n , astle a , dassau e , kerr d . future artificial pancreas technology for type 1 diabetes : what do users want ?
insulin pills and an artificial pancreas are two new tools being tested for preventing and treating diabetes . each could free patients from daily blood tests , needles and insulin pumps .
an ' artificial pancreas ' or closed - loop device can lift this burden and dramatically improve blood glucose control by automatically calculating and delivering the precise amount of insulin needed .
the wearable artificial pancreas ( also known as the closed - loop system or cls ) is a new automated technology that continuously senses blood glucose levels and delivers the right amount of hormones by pump to keep these levels in a target range . dr . perkins wants to know if using this technology , alongside a certain diabetes medication ( an sglt2 ) improves blood glucose control after eating , in comparison to using the artificial pancreas and standard carbohydrate - counting without the additional diabetes medication . results of this clinical trial may show that the use of the artificial pancreas in combination with sglt2s can relieve the burden of carbohydrate - counting and improve glucose control for people with type 1 diabetes on the artificial pancreas .
researchers and manufacturers are coming closer to developing an “artificial pancreas . ” but these devices will not replace proper physician care , which is the source of success . photo by istock
this article describes recent progress in the automated control of glycemia in type 1 diabetes with artificial pancreas devices that combine continuous glucose monitoring with automated decision - making and insulin delivery .
is developing closed - loop systems ( artificial pancreas ) that could serve as a ‘bridge’ until a cure in the form of either stem cell therapy or islet transplantation becomes available .
in april 2011 , dr hovorka published encouraging results from two studies evaluating the performance of the artificial pancreas compared with conventional treatment in 10 men and 14 women with type 1 diabetes .
though the term artificial pancreas is widely used , medical professionals tend to steer clear because some patients hear it and think they’re in for an organ transplant . they’re not . an artificial pancreas doesn’t replace the actual organ . devices aren’t implanted or surgically attached . moreover , they only take over one of the organ’s digestive responsibilities : that is , regulating glucose levels .
existing studies into artificial pancreas systems have largely been short - term , but these new trials will be conducted in larger groups over longer periods of time and in largely unrestricted conditions .
the artificial pancreas systems being tested are the result of collaboration between researchers at the university of virginia and harvard john a . paulson school of engineering and applied sciences ( seas ) .
in the first of the two trials planned as part of the new nih - funded study , 240 patients with type 1 diabetes will test the safety and effectiveness of the artificial pancreas for six months while going about their normal daily routines . the control - to - range artificial pancreas system for this trial was developed at uva and is now licensed to typezero technologies . the artificial pancreas will be compared with a standard insulin pump on two key measures : how well blood - sugar levels are controlled and whether the risk of hypoglycemia is reduced .
research on a similar artificial pancreas device at boston university and massachusetts general hospital has also been presented at the american diabetes association conference and published in the new england journal of medicine .
global artificial organ bank market will reach usd 45 . 18 billion by 2022 : zion market research
within a few years , scientists are hoping to start the large clinical trials that will provide the data the fda will use to decide whether or not to approve some version of an artificial pancreas . the people in those studies will use the experimental product in their daily lives , so scientists are now focusing on making the artificial pancreas robust , portable , and user friendly .
although artificial - pancreas prototypes are chugging along with existing pump and cgm components , enhancements in insulin delivery and speed of action are needed . doyle says that getting tight control with a truly hands - free artificial pancreas may depend on using insulin that works faster . that ' s because the artificial pancreas calculates insulin doses based on sensor readings , which lag behind rapid fluctuations of blood glucose . so , by the time blood glucose starts to increase after eating , existing insulin formulations that are delivered in response have too little time to prevent blood glucose from going too high .
“although it may be a while until the artificial pancreas is available for everyone with type 1 diabetes , ongoing research like this is taking us closer to breakthrough moments in treating this condition .
a self - regulating system , the artificial pancreas would monitor blood sugar levels continuously and automatically release the right amount of insulin at the right times , effectively automating the daily management of diabetes .
abbreviations : aid , automated insulin - alone delivery ; apd , artificial pancreas device ; app , artificial pancreas project ; ctr , control to range ; ctt , control to target ; eu , european union ; fl , fuzzy logic ; mh , multihormonal ; mpc , model predictive control ; pid , proportional integral derivative ; ttr , treat to range ; ttt , treat to target .
nimri r , muller i , atlas e , et al . night glucose control with md - logic artificial pancreas in home setting : a single blind , randomized crossover trial - interim analysis .
this study showed a reduction in mean glycemia without a significant change in hypoglycemia vs . sap over day and night in an outpatient setting over 7 days with an insulin - only artificial pancreas .
feb . 9 , 2017 – clinical trials are now enrolling to provide the final tests for an artificial pancreas to automatically monitor and regulate blood - sugar levels in people with type 1 diabetes .
a woman wears an early prototype of a bio - artificial pancreas ( bap ) at the european center for the study of diabetes on july 3 , 2014 , in strasbourg , eastern france .
in earlier attempts , artificial pancreas have only focused on supplying insulin , which hasn’t succeeded in preventing hypoglycemia . the present “pancreas” comprises a continuous blood sugar monitor , two pumps that inject the hormones under the skin and a laptop that runs the algorithm which facilitates communication between the two pumps .
the first so - called artificial pancreas systems – wearable devices that take charge of the crucial process of measuring glucose levels and delivering precise doses of insulin – are now beginning to come to market .
postoperative blood glucose levels in the sliding scale ( n = 13 ) and artificial pancreas ( n = 17 ) groups during the first 18 hours after pancreatic resection . * p = . 05 .
two clinical trials with the artificial pancreas will soon be underway — the first of which will involve 240 patients with type 1 diabetes and testing the artificial pancreas function as study participants go about their daily routines . the second will follow 180 patients of the first study for an additional six months to test a harvard university - developed algorithm and determines whether it further improves the control of blood sugar .
so it comes without surprise that when i was offered the opportunity to join an artificial pancreas study at stanford with dr . trang ly and dr . bruce buckingham , i quickly agreed to participate .
this study showed a reduction in mean glycemia and hypoglycemia vs . usual care or usual care with remote safety monitoring over day and night in outpatient setting over 5 days with a bihormonal artificial pancreas .
the goal of the artificial pancreas is to eliminate the need for people with type 1 diabetes to stick their fingers multiple times daily to check their blood - sugar levels and to inject insulin manually .
zisser h , dassau e , lee jj , harvey ra , bevier w , doyle fj . clinical results of an automated artificial pancreas using technosphere inhaled insulin to mimic first - phase insulin secretion .
an artificial pancreas is a system composed of an insulin pump and a continuous glucose monitor . the continuous glucose monitor sends information on blood glucose levels to the insulin pump wirelessly . the insulin pump then
dr helen murphy has led on a project to adapt the artificial pancreas to control blood glucose levels during pregnancy . this research could drastically reduce the risk of complications for pregnant women with type 1 diabetes .
this study was supported by the juvenile diabetes research foundation artificial pancreas project . the authors thank dr . aaron kowalski , director of the artificial pancreas project , for inspiring the discussion of control - to - range strategies ; john lum , jaeb center , for constructive comments and stimulus to provide in silico use cases ; and chiara toffanin , university of pavia , for technical support in running in silico experiments .
artificial pancreas technology has the potential to reduce acute and chronic complications of diabetes and mitigate the burden of diabetes self - management . successful outpatient studies bring these technologies one step closer to availability for patients .
in both studies , the artificial pancreas was initialized with information about the pre - experiment insulin - dosing regimen . this allowed personalization of the algorithm , but is vulnerable to poorly optimized insulin parameters ; this problem led to a discontinuation due to hypoglycemia in the first study . an artificial pancreas initialized in this way could not be the initial therapy for a newly diagnosed patient without an established insulin regimen . although the artificial pancreas can adjust subsequent insulin delivery to compensate for insufficient or excess insulin , the requirement that individuals count carbohydrates leaves the system vulnerable to large errors on the part of the individual and doesn’t relieve the burden of diabetes as much as approaches that do not require carbohydrate counting . finally , artificial pancreas systems designed for use during the daytime will ultimately have to be tested without restrictions on vigorous exercise .
damiano believes a successful artificial pancreas may need glucagon to compensate for people ' s active lifestyles and impulsive natures because
once insulin is given , it can ' t be taken back .
he notes that , in the human body , the pancreas has evolved to rely on glucagon to prevent hypoglycemia .
yale researchers are partnering with colleagues across the united states and around the world to test devices known as the “artificial pancreas , ” the last step before requesting regulatory approval for permanent use . “a successful artificial pancreas would be a life - changing advance for many people with type 1 diabetes , ” the national institute of diabetes and digestive and kidney diseases ( niddk ) said in a press release issued last week .
“to be ultimately successful as an optimal treatment for diabetes , the artificial pancreas needs to prove its safety and efficacy in long - term pivotal trials in the patient’s natural environment , ” kovatchev said . “our foremost goal is to establish a new diabetes treatment paradigm : the artificial pancreas is not a single - function device ; it is an adaptable , wearable network surrounding the patient in a digital treatment ecosystem . ”
the first artificial pancreases—clunky hospital - bound devices—were born in the 1970s . in the past decade , as technology has matured , researchers have gotten serious about developing a portable artificial pancreas for home use . the effort has accelerated in just the past few years , thanks in part to the efforts of the food and drug administration ( fda ) to expedite the process . the fda is interacting closely with scientists and industry to ensure they know what types of studies are necessary to advance the artificial pancreas through each stage of approval .
hovorka r , kumareswaran k , harris j , et al . overnight closed loop insulin delivery ( artificial pancreas ) in adults with type 1 diabetes : crossover randomised controlled studies . bmj 2011 ; 342 : d1855
the artificial pancreas would also benefit from further development of cgm technology . cgms now measure glucose levels in the interstitial fluid , the liquid that bathes the body ' s cells . while that measurement reflects blood glucose levels , there is a time lag between when blood glucose levels change and when those changes show up in the interstitial fluid . what ' s more , better cgm accuracy would improve artificial - pancreas performance .
the artificial organ bank market is expected to witness significant growth within the forecast period on account of increasing accident incidences which increase the demand for artificial organs and thus accelerated the growth of artificial organs bank market . in addition , increasing geriatric population and rising life expectancy coupled with increasing adoption of artificial organs are also expected to boost this market in coming five years . furthermore , technological innovations to develop more affordable artificial organs / bionics are also expected to supplement the market growth for artificial organ bank . moreover , the rise in the waiting list of patients requiring organ transplantation and scarcity of donor organs is also an important driving factor for the growth of this market . despite , the high cost of artificial organs is expected to hamper the growth of this market .
now researchers studying type 1 diabetes believe they have found a way to help patients avoid the tightrope walk altogether . several academic and commercial groups are conducting clinical trials for the latest generation of what ' s known as the artificial pancreas . contrary to what the name might suggest , artificial pancreas systems involve no transfer of tissue . rather , the term refers to a complex technology that uses computer algorithms to automatically and continuously sense a person ' s unique blood glucose balance and then substitute the endocrine function of a healthy pancreas .
the first ‘artificial pancreas’ systems are coming to market that’s welcome news for the nation’s 30 million diabetics , who stand to get some relief from lancets , test strips and syringes . check out this story on urltoken urltoken
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the artificial pancreas system was able to automatically calculate the right amount of insulin at the right time , maintain near - normal blood glucose levels and , in turn , prevent nocturnal hypoglycaemia in both early and late pregnancy .
although not a cure for diabetes , the artificial pancreas would provide a life - saving bridge to diabetics while researchers pursue a cellular - level solution . like all bridges , its success will hinge on feats of engineering .
hovorka r , kumareswaran k , harris j , et al . overnight closed loop insulin delivery ( artificial pancreas ) in adults with type 1 diabetes : crossover randomised controlled studies . bmj . 2011 ; 342 : d1855 .
weinzimer sa , steil gm , swan kl , dziura j , kurtz n , tamborlane wv . fully automated closed - loop insulin delivery versus semiautomated hybrid control in pediatric patients with type 1 diabetes using an artificial pancreas .
clarke wl , anderson sm , breton md , patek sd , kashmer l , kovatchev bp . closed - loop artificial pancreas using subcutaneous glucose sensing and insulin delivery and a model predictive control algorithm : the virginia experience .
ziegler c , liberman a , nimri r , et al . reduced worries of hypoglycaemia , high satisfaction , and increased perceived ease of use after experiencing four nights of md - logic artificial pancreas at home ( dream4 )
islet transplantation is the transplantation of isolated islets from a donor pancreas . it is an experimental treatment for t1d
the wearable artificial pancreas is a new diabetes technology that continuously senses blood glucose levels and delivers the right amount of hormones by a pump to keep blood glucose in a target range . dr . rabasa - lhoret’s team is conducting clinical trials comparing two versions of the artificial pancreas ( one that only delivers insulin , and one that delivers insulin and glucagon ) with traditional insulin pump therapy in adults and adolescents with type 1 diabetes . this artificial pancreas has a great potential to improve the quality of life and health of people with type 1 diabetes , to prevent hypoglycemia , reduce hyperglycemia and to lessen the burden of diabetes for both families and health - care providers .
ease of use is especially important because participants in artificial pancreas studies are highly motivated , and it remains unclear how well these devices will perform for patients who are less engaged in their own care , dr . forlenza noted . “our concern is that patients will hear ‘artificial pancreas ' and think that the device will make diabetes care go away , ” he said . “we wish that were true , but we ' re not there yet . ”
dr roman hovorka at the university of cambridge has generated a first - generation artificial pancreas prototype and evaluated its ability to improve blood glucose control at home and reduce the risk of overnight hypos in adults with type 1 diabetes .
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thus , in addition to the four academic trials planned by the niddk , companies such as insulet , tandem , and bigfoot biomedical are conducting trials of artificial pancreas systems in inpatient and outpatient settings , dr . forlenza said .
the study , funded by diabetes uk and carried out by researchers in cambridge , london and sheffield , involved 24 adults with type 1 diabetes use the artificial pancreas system overnight for four weeks in their homes without medical supervision .
two trials are planned as part of the nih - funded study . in the first study , 240 patients with type 1 diabetes will test the safety and effectiveness of the artificial pancreas for six months while going about their regular daily routines . the artificial pancreas will be compared with a standard insulin pump on two key measures : how well blood - sugar levels are controlled and whether the risk of hypoglycemia , or low blood sugar , is reduced .
very few data are available on artificial pancreas devices in type 2 diabetes , dr . forlenza noted . “i suspect that patients with type 2 diabetes who are on insulin therapy will gradually begin to use artificial pancreas systems , but the scientific data is several years behind the data for type 1 patients , ” he added . “the systems may also need to be tweaked in terms of how they handle larger insulin doses and more insulin - resistant patients . ”
in 50 % of participants receiving the dual - hormone artificial pancreas , blood glucose levels were in the target rang e ( 4 - 8 mmol / l ) 81 % of the time . blood glucose levels were in the target range 76 % of the time in participants receiving the single - hormone artificial pancreas . the blood glucose levels were in the target range less often in participants on the regular insulin pump ( 47 % of the time ) .
with an artificial pancreas , a computer program , instead of the person with diabetes , calculates how much insulin the pump delivers based on readings from the cgm . such a
closed - loop system
requires little , or possibly no , input from the user . a person using an artificial pancreas would have the option to make dosing adjustments in certain situations , but the device would mostly act automatically to keep blood glucose levels within a target range .
animas corporation has been instrumental in supporting the addition of their pump to our artificial pancreas platform ,
commented dr . howard zisser , director of clinical research and diabetes technology at sansum .
this milestone should improve the communication performance of the system while also expanding the number of possible research centers that can use it to help close the loop for automated insulin delivery for patients with type 1 diabetes . the extended communications range will also allow research subjects greater freedom during clinical trials .
the significant progress that the researchers at ucsb have made with their artificial pancreas system is proving to be a critical component in allowing us to see a first - generation artificial pancreas commercially available in the near future ,
said aaron kowalski , ph . d . , assistant vice president of glucose control for jdrf and director of the jdrf artificial pancreas project .
building on the announcement we made with animas earlier in the year , we are all aware of the near - term impact on quality of life that even a partially automated artificial pancreas system can have on people with diabetes , and we are excited to see this development move forward .
human trials have already started on the world’s first artificial pancreas , created by 39 - year - old dr oliver’s team . it would offer sufferers of type 1 diabetes , an auto immune disease , the most effective treatment available .
research is driven by a jdrf - funded artificial pancreas consortium including diabetes researchers , engineers , and biochemists from nine institutions in the u . s . and europe . all participants are required to share their findings with the consortium .
the artificial pancreas works as a closed - loop advisory system , which means that it links a continuous glucose monitor with an insulin pump . thus , patients with type 1 diabetes would not have to constantly monitor their glucose levels .
santa barbara , calif , june 25 , 2010 - - - the university of california santa barbara ( ucsb ) and sansum diabetes research institute ( sansum ) announced today the achievement of a milestone in the artificial pancreas project funded by the juvenile diabetes research foundation ( jdrf ) . the world ' s most flexible artificial pancreas system platform , currently being used in clinical trials around the globe , now has the benefit of compatibility with animas corporation insulin delivery products .
studies have shown that glp - 1 improves and preserves the health of the pancreas’s insulin - producing beta cells .
regardless of the form the first artificial pancreas takes or whether it ' s called a bionic pancreas , the device is inspiring hope in people with type 1 diabetes .
i was told there would be a cure in 10 years . for the first time , i see that light ,
says scolnick .
people need to know that this really is on the horizon .
according to damiano and doyle , an artificial pancreas is likely to hit the market within three to five years—and that might be in time for damiano ' s son to take one to college .
both insulin - only and bihormonal artificial pancreas systems have shown benefits compared with comparators in clinical trials , but there are no published studies directly comparing them in the outpatient environment . a recent inpatient study compared a bihormonal artificial pancreas with an insulin - only version of the same system and sap in a three - way crossover study [ 39▪▪ ] . both the bihormonal and insulin - only artificial pancreas systems significantly reduced time in the hypoglycemic range relative to sap , with the bihormonal system reducing hypoglycemia significantly more than the insulin - only system . in outpatient day and night studies , a bihormonal artificial pancreas achieved lower mean glucose with either similar or lower levels of hypoglycemia than insulin - only systems , despite fewer restrictions on activity and no requirement for carbohydrate counting [ 27 , 28▪▪ , 30▪▪ ] . however , head - to - head trials in free - living settings will be necessary to assess the relative merits of these approaches .
in a person without diabetes , the pancreas releases insulin to keep blood sugar levels under control . in those with type 1 diabetes , the insulin - producing beta cells of the pancreas have been destroyed by an autoimmune reaction and no longer produce insulin . the artificial pancreas is designed to automatically monitor blood sugar levels and release insulin or a combination of insulin and glucagon , a hormone that raises blood sugar levels , to keep the user in their target range .
to design the artificial pancreas , kovatchev said they began with a “quantitative understanding of the human metabolic system” driving the cycle between consumption and metabolism of sugars . from there , the team developed mathematical models containing several parameters catered to individuals .
ellingsen c , dassau e , zisser h , grosman b , percival mw , jovanovic l , doyle fj . , 3rd safety constraints in an artificial pancreas β cell : an implementation of model - predictive control with insulin on board .
] . these studies were required to support the testing of artificial pancreas systems in outpatient environments , which present a much broader array of challenges than tightly controlled inpatient settings . this article focuses on outpatient studies that began appearing in 2013 .
the goal of the artificial pancreas is to relieve the person with diabetes from some of this burden , providing excellent blood glucose control with minimum effort . it ' s not a cure , but it may be the next best thing .
the aps platform facilitates researchers from around the world to focus on developing the core algorithms for the artificial pancreas without the burden that is associated with the integration of hardware , software and a human machine interface ,
commented dr . eyal dassau , lead scientist for ucsb ' s artificial pancreas system .
the aps is the only system that allows fully automated closed - loop clinical trials and its design allows it to be expanded as new devices become available .
meanwhile , researchers at the university of california santa barbara have run computerized tests on an implantable “artificial pancreas” to do the job for the organ that naturally produces insulin in healthy bodies , but fails to do so in people with diabetes .
postoperative blood glucose levels in the sliding scale ( n = 13 ) and artificial pancreas ( n = 17 ) groups during the first 18 h following pancreatectomy [ ] . significant statistical difference ( a p < 0 . 05 ) .
there have been two randomized trials comparing sap with insulin - only artificial pancreas devices in outpatient settings during both the night and daytime . these trials exposed the artificial pancreas device to greater challenges than the night - time - only studies , namely meals and physical activity . in one study , 18 adult individuals participated in two 40 h experiments each , in random order , staying in a guesthouse or hotel with some outside excursions [ 27 ] . there were no restrictions on diet , and individuals participated in light exercise ( walking ) , but vigorous exercise was not permitted . the artificial pancreas was initialized with each individual’s carbohydrate ratio , correction factor , and basal rate pattern . the carbohydrate count for each meal was announced to the artificial pancreas , and the meal bolus was calculated by the algorithm . the artificial pancreas reduced the mean time with glucose less than 70 mg / dl ( 1 . 25 vs . 0 . 7 % ) and significantly reduced the need for carbohydrates to treat hypoglycemia ( mean of 2 . 4 vs . 1 . 2 episodes ) . however , there was a statistically significant increase in the mean glucose ( 152 vs . 161 mg / dl ) .
what is an artificial pancreas ? at this point , it is not an implanted pancreas substitute . perhaps it should really be called a closed loop system , joining the insulin pump with a continuous glucose monitoring device ( cgm ) . the excitement around the closed loop system is that the software or algorithms involved “decide” on the need for insulin or glucagon .
we aim to provide an overview of the development of cgm technology and its effect on diabetes treatment . we will discuss the impact of cgm on clinical outcomes and innovative approaches and will give an overview of current and ongoing artificial pancreas studies .
through a marriage of control engineering with medical practice and behavioral science , the artificial pancreas system is designed to supply the appropriate levels of insulin by not only reacting to changes in the body , but accurately predicting blood glucose levels in advance .
del favero s , place j , kropff j , et al . multicenter outpatient dinner / overnight reduction of hypoglycemia and increased time of glucose in target with a wearable artificial pancreas using modular model predictive control in adults with type 1 diabetes .


the moscow state jewish theater ( russian : московский государственный еврейский театр ) , also known by its acronym goset ( госет ) , was a yiddish theater company established in 1919 and shut down in 1948 by the soviet authorities .

it was founded by alexander granowsky as the jewish theater workshop , in st. petersburg , in 1919 .

in 1920 , when granowsky 's theater was taken over by the people 's commissariat of enlightenment , it relocated to moscow , and became the moscow state jewish theater .

it early on attracted solomon mikhoels , who eventually became the leading actor and , in 1928 , its director .

the design of goset 's foyer , as well as decorations sets and costumes for its first production , were done by marc chagall .

the theater 's repertoire included adaptations of sholom aleichem , such as tevye the milkman ( also adopted in the west as fiddler on the roof ) , and of avrom goldfaden , such as bar kokhba , as well as works by contemporary soviet yiddish writers , such as perets markish and dovid bergelson .

the theater also performed william shakespeare 's king lear to great acclaim .

many of the theater 's plays were ostensibly supportive of the soviet state , but closer readings suggest that they actually contained veiled critiques of stalin 's regime .

in january 1948 , mikhoels was murdered by the mvd , and his death was made to look like a car accident .

months later the theater was shut down , and the members of the jewish anti-fascist committee ( also headed by mikhoels ) were arrested .

at least thirteen prominent soviet yiddish writers were executed on august 12 , 1952 in the event known as " the night of the murdered poets " ( " ночь казненных поэтов " ) .

moscow state jewish theatre

increasingly disillusioned by soviet rule after moving to moscow in 1920 , chagall left russiain 1922 . before he did , he produced one of the high points of his career : the murals for the interior of the state jewish chamber theatre in moscow .
natan al’tman’s set design for le trouhadec by jules romain , moscow state yiddish theater , ca . 1920s . ( yivo )
known in yiddish as melucha , and in russian as goset . this theatre was founded in leningrad in 1919 by alexander granovsky [ abraham ozark ] ( 1890–1937 ) as the jewish theatre studio for . . .
set design by robert fal ' k for mendele moykher - sforim ' s kitser masoes binyomin hashlishi ( the brief travels of benjamin iii ) , produced by aleksandr granovskii , moscow state yiddish theater , 1927 . oil on canvas . ( gdc 989 . 313889 ; © federal state institution of culture
a . a . bakhrushin state central theatrical museum ,
moscow )
benjamin harshav , professor of comparative literature at yale university , has chaperoned and enhanced the growing interest in goset since his involvement in the 1992 guggenheim exhibition . prior to the exhibition , he conducted research in moscow and wrote an important essay on the chagall murals for its catalogue . his attractive new book , the moscow yiddish theatre : art on stage at the time of revolution , contributes handsomely to the literature on the now celebrated artistry of the moscow state yiddish theatre .
© 2018 - jewish quarterly . all rights reserved . jewish quarterly , jewish literary trust , 28 st . albans lane , london nw11 7qe company no : 01189861 , charity commission number : 268589
one of nivinsky’s costume illustrations for the golem appears on the visually arresting cover of the book , though the book is devoted to yiddish , not hebrew , theatre . it is easy to understand harshav’s eagerness to reproduce all the gorgeous pictures included in the book , all of them from the bakhrushin theatre museum in moscow ; yet , at times one has the impression of a child who won’t let go of any single piece of candy . true , harshav mentions the habima in his essay , and notes briefly that ‘jewish’ and ‘yiddish’ mean one and the same in russian , an argument that may explain his deliberately vague title ‘moscow yiddish theatre’ rather than ‘the moscow state yiddish theatre’ which was goset’s official title . this double meaning of ‘jewish’ is reminiscent of older people who , years ago , would say that someone sopke ‘jewish , ’ by which they meant ‘yiddish’ . for today’s reader , however , this double meaning is anachronistic and confusing .
the moscow state yiddish theatre ( moskver idisher melukhisher teater ) , usually referred to by its russian acronym , goset , was one of the crown jewels of modern jewish creativity . its story has the making of shakespearean drama : daring , uplifting and tragic . it is a tale of innovative artistry , personal talent , jewish commitment , political shenanigans , great hopes and broken promises which ends with assassination and institutional liquidation .
zrelishscha ( entertainment ) , no . 89 ( june 1924 ) . the cover of this moscow journal features a montage by i . makhlis celebrating the goset ( moscow state yiddish theater ) , with aleksandr granovskii as the locomotive that pulls the train and actor solomon mikhoels as the conductor atop the engine . ( yivo )
this situation began to change sixteen years ago . in 1992 , the guggenheim museum presented marc chagall and the jewish theatre , an exhibition that captivated new york , and later chicago , with a display of the large mural paintings chagall had prepared for goset’s first home in moscow . the fate of the murals was tied to the oblivion to which the soviet authorities had consigned the theatre : after its demise in 1950 , the murals had been rolled up and left in storage in the state tretiakov gallery in moscow ; goset was written out of theatre history . chagall himself did not know if his work had survived , and only in 1973 , when he returned to the soviet union for the first time since 1922 , did he reunite with the murals and apply his signature to the canvases .
with their dreamy , pale colours and detailed compositions these works act as a manifesto for chagall’s deliberately hybrid aesthetic , in which broad bands of colour plainly derived from suprematism are the backdrop – but only the backdrop – for resolutely non - abstract portraits of performers , artists and livestock . these monumental paintings packed with activity present chagall’s panoramic vision of the jewish theatre as the theatre of life .
during the second world war , mikhoels became a prominent jewish leader . he became involved in the jewish anti - fascist committee , travelled to the west and the united states and established contacts with jewish organizations outside the soviet union . he was to pay dearly for his involvement . on the night of 12 january 1948 , mikhoels was murdered in minsk on direct orders from stalin , the murder camouflaged as a traffic accident . some 10 , 000 people paid their respects when the body lay in state in the auditorium of goset . but the theatre was doomed and a year later it was liquidated . on 12 august 1952 , actor benjamin zuskin , mikhoels’s right hand and friend , was executed with eleven other jewish soviet writers and intellectuals .
goset was established in 1920 , when the petrograd - based jewish chamber theater , directed by aleksandr granovskii ( 1890–1937 ) , was taken over by the people’s commissariat of enlightenment and relocated to moscow . situated in the center of moscow , goset emerged as one of the soviet union’s foremost theaters . its leading actors , solomon mikhoels ( 1890–1948 ) and veniamin zuskin ( 1899–1952 ) , became national celebrities , and it employed many of the country’s major jewish playwrights , artists , and musicians . its yiddish theater school , established in 1929 , trained new cadres of performers for both the moscow stage and yiddish theaters throughout the soviet union .
interest in goset was enhanced by en masse emigration of russian jews — including family members of the theatre’s leadership — to israel , america , and western europe , where they created disaporic communities that were greatly interested in their russian / soviet roots . in 2000 , historian jeffrey veidlinger published the first english - language history of goset , taking advantage of archival materials that had become available since the fall of the soviet union . the saga of goset and its artists has also inspired jewish artistic works , notably an opera and a couple of stage plays . last but not least , a new exhibition , titled chagall and the artists of the russian jewish theatre , has recently opened at the jewish museum in new york and is attracting numerous visitors .
solomon mikhailovich mikhoels presiding over a reading at the moscow yiddish theater , ca . 1930s . photograph by d . sholomovich , press photoagency . ( yivo )
mordechai altshuler , ed . , ha - teatron ha - yehudi bi - verit ha - mo‘atsot ( jerusalem , 1996 ) ; béatrice picon - vallin , le théâtre juif soviétique pendant les années vingt ( lausanne , switz . , 1973 ) ; jeffrey veidlinger , the moscow state yiddish theater : jewish culture on the soviet stage ( bloomington , ind . , 2000 ) ; seth wolitz , “ shulamis and bar kokhba : renewed jewish role models in goldfaden and halkin , ” in yiddish theater : new approaches , ed . , joel berkowitz , pp . 87–104 ( new york and oxford , 2003 ) .
one of the most famous and critically acclaimed yiddish - language theaters in the world . the moscow state yiddish theater ( also referred to as mosgoset or simply goset , from [ moskovskii ] gosudarstvennyi evreiskii teatr ) was , in the words of the yiddish literary critic and cultural activist nakhmen mayzel , “our greatest theatrical marvel . ” widely considered one of the best theaters in the soviet union , it was often heralded by the government as a model of jewish cultural achievement under communism .
the soviet postwar political climate was hostile to jewish culture and yiddish theater . official russian national chauvinism and the emergence of zhdanovism and the anticosmopolitan campaigns against soviet jews restricted the repertoire and frightened many potential audience members away . in january 1948 , stalin unleashed a new wave of antisemitic violence with the assassination of mikhoels , under the guise of a truck accident . this was followed by the arrest of many of the theater’s leading writers and activists . zuskin , who had replaced mikhoels , was arrested in december 1948 . throughout the following year numerous jewish institutions in the soviet union were shut down . the moscow state yiddish theater was closed in november 1949 .
the art critic abram efros , who had recently become the theatre’s artistic director , recruited the artist in november 1920 as a designer . for the first season’s opening night , chagall was asked to design the sets and costumes for three one - act plays by sholem aleichem . in addition to this , chagall decided to decorate the entire room in which the tiny theatre was located by painting a set of wall and ceiling murals on canvas , as well as a stage curtain . the wall panels introduction to the jewish theatre , music , dance , drama , literature , love on the stage and the wedding feast frieze survive , while the curtain and ceiling mural are lost . chagall’s frenetic month - long endeavour transformed the space into a totally immersive allegorical environment that was quickly nicknamed ‘chagall’s box’ .
the most celebrated period in the life of the theatre began with its move from st . petersburg to moscow , where it began to perform in january , 1921 . there , in the capital , granovsky and his actors , well - trained in acrobatics , captivated the art world with an original and iconoclastic theatrical language that they applied to classical yiddish works , notably goldfaden’s operetta the witch , sholem aleichem’s 200 , 000 , i . l . peretz’s night in the old market and mendele moykher sforim’s the voyage of benjamin the third . shortly after the move to moscow , chagall became associated with goset . he decorated the theatre with his now famous murals , and applied his folksy modernism to the design of sets , costumes and make - up , influencing the aesthetic of goset productions and sharpening its acting style .
goset emerged in a period in which the soviet government actively fostered the development of yiddish language and culture , along with the cultures of other national minorities . during its first decade in power , the soviet government believed that it could best reach minorities by appealing to them in their native languages . goset thus functioned along with yiddish - language newspapers , schools , courts , and governmental organizations as part of a network of yiddish - language institutions intended to influence the jewish population . the ideological success and international reputation of the moscow state yiddish theater helped it survive the curtailment of yiddish cultural activity in the 1930s . the theater , which remained open until 1949 , was one of the last surviving jewish institutions in the soviet union under stalin .
in his book , harshav focuses on the period up to 1928 , setting the intellectual and artistic context for a deeper understanding of the theatre’s achievements at its most creative stage . the book consists of two main parts . the first part includes two essays by the author : ‘the yiddish art theatre’ and ‘chagall’s theatre murals’ . the rest of the book includes translations from yiddish and russian of source materials , as well as translations of two skits by sholem aleichem produced by goset . the book includes a bibliography and two generous sections of beautifully produced colour plates . of these , the first is devoted to works by chagall and other designers who worked for goset , while the second offers a potpourri of set and costume illustrations and images , including those prepared by robert falk for granovsky’s production of the travels of benjamin the third , sketches by alexander tyshler for the 1935 production of king lear , designs prepared for the belorussian , ukranian and birobidjan state yiddish theatres , and five sketches by eugene nivinsky for habima’s 1925 hebrew - language production of the golem .
( at night at the old market ) . isaak rabichev , moscow , 1925 . pen and india ink on paper . poster design for a goset production of the play by y . l . peretz . ( hillel kazovsky )
the history of goset consists of a prologue , two main acts and an epilogue . founded in 1918 in st petersburg , its creative path was carved out by alexander granovsky , its artistic director , a brilliant regissueur who had studied with reinhardt in berlin and collaborated with maxim gorky and fedor chaliapin before fully devoting himself to the creation of a modernistic yiddish theatre . granovsky , a cerebral director , had no interest in illusionist literary theatre and was keen on developing a new theatrical vocabulary that synthesized text , rhythm , movement , sound and visual devices . this approach reflected the new spirit of the russian theatre . it was fascinated by machine - age contructivism and the notion of the crowd as hero , adored the carnivalesque and experimented with non - western theatrical practices . while stanislavski was revered as the grand old man of the russian stage , it was meyerhold and his system of biomechanics , which demanded rigorous acrobatic training for actors , that was fresh and appealing . when such modernistic practices merged with traditional jewish materials , the results were innovative and exciting .
during its lifetime ( 1918–50 ) and the decades following its brutal demise , the theatre has been the subject of several books of scholarly and semi - scholarly nature , as well as personal memoirs , written in yiddish , hebrew , russian , french and german . essays in english appeared every so often in specialized academic journals , yet in the absence of an english - language monograph , goset remained below the radar . two reasons for this relative obscurity appear to be the cultural tensions created by the cold war and the fact that the theatre never toured britain or the united states .
although the theater experienced artistic decline beginning in the early 1930s , this trend was halted in 1935 with its critically acclaimed production of shakespeare’s king lear , starring mikhoels and zuskin , and translated into yiddish by shmuel halkin . this production was widely regarded as the theater’s greatest moment . however , the lack of jewish content threatened to turn goset into a theater of translation with no direct connection to jewish culture .
goset began its 30 - year history with a series of performances that adapted works of popular yiddish writers into modernist theatrical frameworks . it made its moscow debut with a highly successful series of one - act plays by sholem aleichem , which were presented together under the title sholem aleykhem ovnt ( an evening of sholem aleichem ; 1921 ) . the sets and theater decorations , designed by marc chagall , included the artist’s now famous mural vvedenie v evreiskii teatr ( introduction to the jewish theater ) .
the theatre’s creative chapter lasted until 1928 , when the soviet authorities ended goset’s triumphant tour of central europe and granovsky decided to defect to the west . the company returned to moscow , where the government began to intervene in artistic matters , implementing a policy that would lead to the imposition of socialist realism as the officially required style . actor solomon mikhoels was appointed director . he was a phenomenal actor but not a great director . this , and the increasing stringency of policies governing the arts , caused goset to lose much of its original artistic edge , while mikhoels , a wise politician , immersed himself in navigating the murky waters of the stalinist regime . in 1934 , after a few lacklustre years of forgettable productions , mikhoels stunned the theatre world with his breathtaking rendition of king lear , with benjamin zuskin , his perennial sidekick , in the role of the fool . it was mikhoels’s crowning role , marking him as a shakespearean interpreter of the first order . it is most fortunate that segments of his performance were recorded on film . to this day , the old and grainy images convey the power of an exceptional performance . the story behind this extraordinary production is uniquely russian : it was conceived by les kourbas ( neé oleksander ) , the most important ukrainian theatre director of the twentieth century . kourbas , known as the ukranian meyerhold , knew yiddish , and mikhoels had been trying for years to get him to work with goset . he finally did so in 1933 , but before completing his work was arrested as a counterrevolutionary and executed four years later ( 1937 ) . the production was finished by the more conventional director sergei radlov , a party favorite , who was given full credit for the stage direction .
during the theater’s european tour in 1928 , granovskii defected , leaving mikhoels as its new director . under pressure from the state , mikhoels reoriented the theater toward a repertoire of works by leading soviet writers on contemporary themes . dovid bergelson ’s der toyber ( the deaf ; 1930 ) and m . daniel ’s fir teg ( four days ; 1931 ) were both intended to teach audiences about revolutionary ardor and the ideological principles of soviet communism . although these plays were not popular favorites , they helped assure that the theater was on safe ideological ground .
regular summer tours through ukraine and belorussia kept the theater in contact with the large jewish populations of these regions . during the 1920s , goset became one of the soviet union’s leading avant - garde theaters and a prototype of yiddish art theaters . new york times reviewer c . hooper trask wrote of the production of masoes binyomin hashlishi : “it was one of the most originally conceived and beautifully executed evenings in the modern theater” ( 24 june 1928 ) .
i wish harshav had provided us with an explanation for his choice of source materials as well as a brief introduction to the excerpts he selected , the cumulative effect of which borders on hagiography . the same applies to the raison d’être of the two sholem aleichem skits . such authorial clarifications would give the book a more focused rationale . this being said , the author and the publisher must be praised for this sumptuous volume , which enhances our understanding and appreciation of a sterling example of jewish creativity at its very best .
the theater responded to the 1934 formula “national in form ; socialist in content” with two adaptations by halkin of works by avrom goldfadn : shulamis ( 1937 ) and bar kokhba ( 1938 ) . both were set in the land of israel during the roman era and portrayed jews as heroic warriors . although many of the overt religious motifs in goldfadn’s originals were removed , the plays retained distinctly national elements in line with the new soviet toleration of expressions of national pride among minority nations . during this period , the theater also achieved success with perets markish ’s birobidzhan epic , mishpokhe ovadis ( family ovadis ; 1937 ) and sholem aleichem’s tevye der milkhiker ( tevye the dairyman ; 1938 ) . both productions , about the generational conflict within individual families , were intended to aid audiences in adjusting to postrevolutionary changes to the jewish community .
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over the next six years , the theater followed this success with adaptations of avrom goldfadn ’s di kishef - makherin ( the witch ; 1922 ) , sholem aleichem’s tsvey hundert toyznt ( two hundred thousand ; 1923 ) , y . l . peretz ’s bay nakht afn altn mark ( night in the old marketplace ; 1925 ) , and mendele moykher - sforim ’s masoes binyomin hashlishi ( travels of benjamin iii ; 1927 ) . these productions all interpreted prerevolutionary yiddish works within a social and ideological structure corresponding to soviet ideals . through symbolist and expressionist theatrical techniques , the theater emphasized themes of class struggle and antireligious rebellion .
after the nazi invasion of the ussr in june 1941 , goset was evacuated to tashkent , where it added to its repertoire plays glorifying the soviet war effort . perets markish ’s an oyg far an oyg ( an eye for an eye ; 1942 ) and yekhezkl dobrushin ’s a vunderlekhe geshikhte ( a marvelous history ; 1944 ) presented a narrative of the war in accord with the soviet doctrine of the friendship of nations . the plays emphasized the cooperation between jews and other nationalities in defeating the fascist enemy . the theater celebrated the soviet victory with zalman shneer - okun’s freylekhs ( joy ; 1945 ) , a wedding story about the renewal of life ; it was awarded the stalin prize in 1946 .
rg 118 , theater , yiddish , collection , 1890s - 1970s ; rg 8 , esther - rachel kaminska theater museum , collection , ca . 1900 - 1939 .
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