Artificial Pancreas Could Revolutionize Treatment Of Type 1 Diabetes

After reading the article about the research being done by UC Santa Barbara in June, I came across another article published in late October which extended the findings. Like the research done at UC Santa Barbara, the artificial pancreas testings were run by the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. Rather than honing in on the actual system, this new research team at the University of Virigina was looking specifically at the artifical pancreas algorithim.
The algorithim, also known as the "smart program" proved to be exceedingly complicated. Researchers in the US and Italy were trying to create a simple program which would be able to pick up the host blood glucose level, and then somehow go into the database and pick out the exact dosage of insulin which would suit the numbers. Basically, these medical engineers needed to devise a system which could compute on a human- like level.
After countless months in development, the FDA stepped in. While developing the silico computer simulation experiments, the FDA granted the researchers approval to test the novel artifical pancreas in humans before the animal trials. This cut the overall development process from several years to six months.
The fact that the FDA eliminated in vivo trials says alot about the artifical pancreas in a biotechnological light. When new technologies and drugs are expedited like this, it signifies the importance and necesity of either. Cancer drugs are often expedited during development because they are extremely needed for cancer patients to maintain health, just like this artificial pancreas; it is absolutely mandatory in regulating Type 1 Diabetes.
With the devotion of research teams around the world, and the involvement of the FDA, I think the artificial pancreas will soon prove to be the best way to treat Type 1 Diabetes. I think in a few years, the artificial pancreas will be less expensive because so many people will need/ want them.

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/126827.php