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| health information | health news

Artificial pancreas offers diabetes hope

13 July 2007

Key facts

Type 1 diabetes develops when the cells in the pancreas stop producing insulin.
People with type 1 diabetes need to inject insulin several times a day.
The journal Diabetes Care published a study in 2005 showing that people with diabetes spend only about 30 percent of their day in their normal blood glucose range. These fluctuations can be harmful to health.
Children and teenagers with diabetes have bigger fluctuations of insulin levels than adults.

Hopes of an artificial pancreas may change the way people with type 1 diabetes control their condition.

An artificial pancreas in the form of a "closed loop" device is being trialled in 12 children aged between 5 and 18. It will be tested to see if it can regulate glucose (sugar) levels in the blood., The Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) is funding researchers at the University of Cambridge to develop a workable model that may one day be widely available.

JDRF Chief Executive Karen Addington, who was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at age 12, said: "JDRF is funding the development of the artificial pancreas because we believe that it is the best possible 'mechanical cure' for type 1 diabetes whilst we continue the search for a biological cure. Regulating blood glucose levels is vital to reducing the risk of the many devastating complications that can arise from type 1 diabetes."

The device contains a continuous glucose sensor, which records blood glucose levels every 15 minutes, and an insulin pump. An alarm alerts a person if their blood glucose levels are too low or too high so a nurse can adapt their medication by using the insulin pump.

The ultimate aim is to create a loop system whereby information from the sensor is fed back to the device and this will stimulate the release of insulin spontaneously, without the need for a nurse to administer it. The trial is currently focusing on the exact calculation that will help the device respond with insulin more precisely. Dr Roman Hovorka from the University of Cambridge said the trial has been encouraging and the device may be available in the next 3 to 5 years.

"This technology will enable a child with type 1 diabetes to achieve better glucose levels by automatically providing the right amount of insulin at the right time, just as the pancreas does in people without the condition," said Dr Hovorka, who will be devising the correct calculation. "Doctors and patients should be aware that this technology is coming."

Cathy Moulton, Care Advisor at Diabetes UK, commented: "The concept is very exciting; however, we feel there is still a long way to go with many questions that need to be addressed. With any mechanical or artificial management of diabetes, the product would need to be failsafe. Can we be sure it won't break or become blocked or disconnected? Is the device going to be implantable or portable? How is the technology going to deal with the body's fluctuating needs, during physical activity for example? Although this artificial pancreas will not cure diabetes, it will potentially lead to a significant improvement in the quality of life for many insulin using people with diabetes."