Artificial Pancreas Set To Transform Treatment Of Diabetes

Scientists are working to create an artificial pancreas that will help reduce the complications of type 1 diabetes and significantly improve the lives and life expectancy of millions of patients with the condition. Product development firm Cambridge Consultants recently announced that it is teaming up with the Institute of Metabolic Science (IMS) at Addenbrooke's Hospital in Cambridge, UK, on this groundbreaking research.

The U.S. ranked 6th highest in the world for the rate of kids aged 14 and under diagnosed with type 1 diabetes , according to research from the International Diabetes Federation. The risk of diabetes patients dropping into dangerously low blood sugar levels while sleeping is especially concerning. An application is being created by Cambridge Consultants that will enable a continuous glucose meter (CGM) to autonomously convey messages to a smartphone or tablet via Bluetooth and then link to an insulin pump. This will allow patients with type 1 diabetes to wear an artificial pancreas at home without being supervised by a nurse. Every 1 to 5 minutes, the CGM will monitor the patient's glucose levels. That information will then be transmitted to a connected smartphone or tablet that will measure the amount of insulin needed to keep the person's glucose at a steady level at all times. The appropriate dosage will then be automatically given to the patient through a pump worn under the patient's clothes. Although experts have previously tested a nurse-assisted system in a hospital setting and a home use of the system has already been established, the application now being created provides Dr. Hovorka, research leader, with the tools necessary to test his novel algorithm in a home environment over a longer time period. Dr. Hovorka, director of research at the University of Cambridge Metabolic Research Laboratories, which are part of the IMS, said: "Researchers in my field have been working on a number of different algorithms for an artificial pancreas but, with the help of Cambridge Consultants, I hope to create a system that is convenient to use and can be remotely monitored." The next step in making the system more extensively available is to try out the system in a natural setting over a longer time period . "To do this, it must work completely autonomously. Combining my background in mathematical modeling and developing control algorithms, and Cambridge Consultants' extensive experience in medical technology and connected devices, we hope to make a huge breakthrough in the day-to-day control of this incurable condition," he explained.