“Artificial Pancreas” improves blood sugar control in diabetics

In what sounds like a potential significant advance in diabetes control, researchers at Cambridge University released study information about a new “artificial pancreas” that can monitor blood sugar levels and deliver insulin when necessary:

“These devices could transform the management of type 1 diabetes, but it is likely to be a gradual process,” Roman Hovorka of Cambridge, who led the research, said in a telephone interview.

He said the results were “an important stepping stone” toward bringing an artificial pancreas to the commercial market, but predicted several years yet of refinement before it could be used day and night by patients in normal life.

“It’s a bit like with mobile phones. When we started, the technology wasn’t very good and the functionality was limited, and it took a number of generations to move to the device that we have now. I see the same thing with this system.”

Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease in which the body attacks cells in the pancreas, which help produce insulin. Without insulin, glucose can’t be used for energy, so it remains in the blood and causes serious health problems, such as damage to major organ systems (including eyes) and nerves.

Because of these complications, it is important for diabetics with type 1 disease to keep their blood sugar as close to “normal” as possible. Usually this requires frequent blood tests and regular insulin injections or the use of an insulin pump. This article doesn’t specify whether this device would do away with the painful and/or annoying finger pricks needed to obtain blood for testing throughout the day, but regardless – a device like this one could go a long way to help diabetics spend less time thinking and working to control their disease.

(Full Disclosure: I work for Edelman, a public relations agency, that does work on behalf of one of the companies mentioned in the article linked within this post. )