"Automated 'Artificial Pancreas' Controls Blood Glucose Levels In Diabetes Patients For First Time

Over the summer, at UC Santa Barbara, artificial pancreas research was conducted. Throughout the summer, UC Santa Barbara worked with the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation in order to evaluate the use of the artificial pancreas. The research team implemented 4 teenagers with Type 1 Diabetes, closely monitoring blood glucose levels for 5 hours throughout the day. The team found that the artificial pancreas successfully managed to reduce the occurrence of hyperglycemia and hypoglycemia despite unanticipated meals and other factors. When the patients blood glucose level was noticeably low, the pancreas algorithm would automatically administer the proper dosage of insulin into the body. For children recently diagnosed, this was very helpful for a number of reasons. First of all, for most recently diagnosed children, warning signs of low or high blood glucose levels are very faint. Amidst man elements, children are rarely able to detect whether or not they are close to a bad blood glucose number. With the artificial pancreas, the external sensor worked with the insulin pump to administer the right dosage of insulin at the right time without the child having to worry about anything. The primary investigator of this research team, Frank Doyle, said that because of this, the artificial pancreas eliminated the "question of compliance in treatment." Overall, in this study, the artificial pancreas corrected the induced high blood glucose levels and moderated the insulin infusion rate in order to maintain relatively regular blood glucose levels throughout the day (without any help from the patients!) As many international res arch teams are working with large Type 1 Diabetes foundations, the artificial pancreas is becoming the "gold standard." Another key finding of the artificial pancreas is that it prevents various long- term negative effects commonly associated with Type 1 Diabetes. Because the artificial pancreas keeps a tight regimen of blood glucose levels, children experience hypo and hyper glycemia much less than children using other modes of treatment. Without frequent blood glucose fluctuations, children are at a lesser risk for long-term outcomes such as blindness, kidney disease, etc. Right now, medical engineers are working to produce more of these fully closed- loop insulin pumps throughout the world. The final product is expected to be somewhat expensive as it is composed of automated insulin delivery system, the continuous glucose monitor, and the artificial pancreas software. Along with these prices, we have to take into account the amount of research that has been done for these devices and the amount of people who are involved in the development of this device (pharmaceuticals, medical engineers, doctors, scientists, bioengineers, biomaterials industries). Although the artificial pancreas will be extremely efficient and beneficial, it will be at a high cost.

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/153002.php