‘Artificial pancreas’ brings hope for diabetics

Researchers have recently tested the device and concluded that it works better than conventional treatment.

A study, involving 17 children with type 1 diabetes, was conducted by scientists at the Cambridge University in Britain.

Type I diabetes results from the inability of the body to produce insulin, which is responsible for regulation of the blood sugar levels of the body.

Device shows promise
The device was tested during a series of nights in hospital as children suffering from type 1 diabetes are at a particular risk of hypoglycemic attacks overnight, when levels of their blood sugar fall dangerously low while sleeping.

Presently, most such children rely on insulin pumps which deliver the drug at preselected levels. The new device is an advancement of the system as it provides for a more sophisticated way of keeping the blood sugar within normal limits.

The device involves a matchbox-sized monitor, a pump and a tube to deliver insulin into the body. It was found that the system helped keep the blood sugar levels in the normal range in 60 percent of the cases.

Important stepping stone
“These devices could transform the management of type 1 diabetes, but it is likely to be a gradual process,” said lead author Roman Hovorka of Cambridge.

It might take several years of research before an artificial pancreas system could be introduced to the commercial market, but the outcome of the study is “an important stepping stone,” he said.

“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,” Hovorka said.

“We need to redouble our efforts to move the artificial pancreas from a concept in the clinic to a reality in the home of children and adults with type 1 diabetes,” said Karen Addington, chief executive of Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.

Last month, the Foundation talked of a partnership with U.S. drug maker Johnson & Johnson's unit Animas, which makes insulin pumps, and DexCom Inc., which makes continuous glucose monitoring devices, to create the artificial pancreas system and test its usability.

A device of this kind has long been on the minds of scientists across the world as diabetes otherwise has no cure. The success of this system is a huge step towards a better management of sufferers of Type I Diabetes.

The study was funded by Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, and the findings were published in The Lancet.