GlycoQuest: An AI-Adaptive CGM-Integrated Serious Game for Pediatric Type 1 Diabetes

Summary

Type 1 diabetes diagnosed in childhood requires rapid acquisition of complex self-management skills while children and caregivers are also adapting emotionally and socially to a chronic condition. Standard diabetes education is often delivered early after diagnosis, is information intensive, and is not usually personalized to real-time glucose patterns, emotional state, child developmental stage, or family communication needs.

This study will evaluate GlycoQuest, an AI-adaptive, continuous glucose monitoring-integrated serious game digital therapeutic for children and adolescents newly diagnosed with type 1 diabetes and their primary caregivers. GlycoQuest uses CGM-linked gameplay, a glucose-responsive digital avatar, AI-personalized learning pathways, parent-child collaborative modules, adaptive hypoglycemia and insulin decision simulations, and psychosocial adaptation content addressing diabetes distress, fear of hypoglycemia, stigma, illness acceptance, and autonomy transition.

This randomized controlled trial will enroll 110 parent-child dyads. Children aged 6 to 17 years with type 1 diabetes diagnosed within the previous 3 months will be randomized 1:1 to GlycoQuest plus standard care or enhanced digital psychoeducation plus standard care. The intervention period will be 6 months, with follow-up to 8 months. The co-primary outcomes are change in CGM-derived time in range, defined as 70 to 180 mg/dL, and child diabetes distress at 8 months. Secondary outcomes include time below range, glycemic variability, HbA1c, severe hypoglycemia, diabetic ketoacidosis readmissions, insulin omission, quality of life, fear of hypoglycemia, parental stress, diabetes family conflict, self-efficacy, engagement, and implementation outcomes.

Conditions

• Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus (T1DM)
• Diabetes Distress
• Hypoglycemia (Diabetic)
• Family Conflict

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

GlycoQuest Digital Therapeutic

GlycoQuest is an AI-adaptive, CGM-integrated serious game digital therapeutic designed for children and adolescents newly diagnosed with type 1 diabetes and their caregivers. The intervention includes real-time CGM-linked gameplay, a glucose-responsive digital avatar, AI-personalized content allocation, adaptive insulin and hypoglycemia decision simulations, parent-child collaborative missions, spaced repetition, reward-based learning, self-efficacy reinforcement, and psychosocial adaptation modules addressing diabetes distress, fear of hypoglycemia, stigma, illness acceptance, and autonomy transition. GlycoQuest does not provide autonomous insulin dosing recommendations and does not replace clinical care.

BEHAVIORAL

Enhanced Digital Psychoeducation

Enhanced Digital Psychoeducation is a study-branded digital education app providing structured diabetes education content for children, adolescents, and caregivers. It includes educational modules, illustrations, videos, glossary functions, and links to validated diabetes resources. The comparator does not include AI personalization, CGM-linked gameplay, serious game mechanics, adaptive algorithms, digital twin functions, or parent-child co-play modules.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Al Ain University

  collaborator UNKNOWN

• Shifa International Hospital

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• Saima Abbass, MD, PhD · Shifal hospital

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

TREATMENT

Masking

SINGLE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age

6 Years

Max Age

17 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2026-06-01

Primary Completion

2026-11-01

Completion

2026-11-30

Countries

• Pakistan

Study Locations