Artificial pancreas can help control type I diabetes

If you have clicked on this page looking for a one word answer, let me tell you that you won't be disappointed. Even though a cure for diabetes type I still looks like a distant dream there is hope on the horizon now. A new study claimed that implantable 'artificial pancreas' can help diabetes patients control their blood sugar levels without much fuss.

What is type I diabetes

Type 1 diabetes happens when a person's own immune system destroys the pancreas cells that make insulin, the hormone that converts blood sugar into energy. To make up for this loss of insulin production, patients are forced to take insulin daily from external sources. Current delivery methods involve multiple daily injections or insulin pump therapy, both requiring the user to actively track glucose and calculate the needed insulin dose.

The challenges of living with type I diabetes

Suffering from type I diabetes means constant monitoring of blood sugar levels and injecting insulin daily. However, scientists have now claimed that development of an implantable 'artificial pancreas' that continuously measures a person's blood sugar or glucose level and can automatically free one from the constant pricks and monitoring.

There is also a significant time lag between when a dose is needed and when it can take effect.

The new solution

Francis J Doyle III and colleagues wanted to find a way to make monitoring and insulin delivery automatic and needle-free. The researchers designed an algorithm that monitors blood sugar levels and computes an insulin dose that it delivers quickly and automatically when necessary. The algorithm is designed to work with implanted devices, specifically with an artificial pancreas, and would overcome the delays experienced with current devices. Computer testing of the algorithm simulated the rise and fall of glucose that would correspond to meals and an overnight period of sleep.

The artificial pancreas maintained blood glucose within the target range nearly 80% of the time. The researchers say they will soon test the device in animals.

The study appears in the ACS journal Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research.

With inputs from ANI

Image source: Shutterstock

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