Artificial pancreas for diabetics

Dr. Andrea Bannert has been with since 2013. The doctor of biology and medicine editor initially carried out research in microbiology and is the team's expert on the tiny things: bacteria, viruses, molecules and genes. She also works as a freelancer for Bayerischer Rundfunk and various science magazines and writes fantasy novels and children's stories.

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If you have diabetes, you have to measure your blood sugar several times a day and readjust your insulin level if necessary. Wouldn't it be practical if an invisible machine took over both?

Such a device already exists. It was developed by researchers from the University of Virginia (UVA) School of Medicine and the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences. It basically consists of its insulin pump and a blood glucose meter, both of which are implanted under the skin so that they can no longer be seen. The blood sugar is continuously recorded with the help of this "artificial pancreas".

The special thing about the device: its software also takes into account various physiological and psychological parameters: for example when and how much the patient ate, how much he moved, how long he slept or whether he was exposed to particular stress. All of these variables affect blood sugar levels. Control and insight from “outside”, for example, are provided by a smartphone that connects to the artificial pancreas under the skin with the help of special software via Bluetooth.

view in the future

"The device delivers the right amounts of insulin not only by reacting to changes in blood sugar levels that have already taken place, but also by predicting future blood sugar levels," explains Boris Kovatchev from UVA, one of the developers. This means that diabetes is still not curable, but it can give patients a higher quality of life. At the same time, this is also one of the great advantages over the insulin pumps that are already in use.

A large clinical study in Europe and America will now test whether the new system will also prove itself in practice compared to conventional, external insulin pumps. First 240, then another 180 type 1 diabetics will have the device implanted. Then over a period of six months it should be observed how well the blood sugar is regulated, by how much the risk of hypoglycaemia can be reduced and to what extent the forecast of future blood sugar values ​​works by recording lifestyle parameters.

Go for long term study

So far, the researchers had only tested the device for a few days. "The greatest challenge with an artificial pancreas is the unpredictability of the human body," says co-inventor Francis J. Doyle III from Harvard University. "The stress level and the hormone balance fluctuate day by day and hour by hour." The scientists hope that the longer period now enables the calculation software to be further optimized.

More and more people with diabetes

The pancreas, also called the pancreas, produces various important hormones, including insulin. This hormone is important in controlling blood sugar levels. In diabetics, this system becomes unbalanced: either by producing too little insulin (type 1 diabetes) or one that does not work properly because the body cells have become resistant to it (type 2 diabetes). Patients with type 1 in particular therefore have to artificially supply the hormone from the outside, either via syringes or insulin pumps, so that their metabolism does not derail.

Source: Harvard University press release: Artificial pancreas system at type 1 diabetes mellitus - Largest-ever long-term clinical trail will begin this year, January 4, 2016.

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