Artificial pancreas for diabetics moves a step closer: New gadget ‘controls blood sugar levels BETTER than insulin injections’ for type 1 sufferers
- An artificial pancreas can automatically monitor blood sugar and inject insulin
- Experts say it can remove the need for type 1 diabetics to inject their own insulin
- A trial revealed people spend 25 per cent less time in ‘dangerous conditions’
- Their blood sugar spends more time in a safe range and spikes less often
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An artificial pancreas is a step closer to helping hundreds of thousands of type 1 diabetes patients cope with the condition.
Doctors trialled the new insulin system on dozens of patients and found it helped improve their blood sugar control – and worked better than insulin injections.
The closed-loop insulin delivery system, as it is called, both monitors blood sugar levels and automatically injects insulin when patients need it.
Similar devices are already used by type 1 diabetes patients in the US, but none have yet been approved by the European Medicines Agency.
Charities now hope the technology will be rolled out in the UK, which could spell the end to painful finger prick testing and injections.
The closed-loop insulin delivery system is composed of devices which monitor blood sugar and decide when the body needs more insulin, and can inject it automatically – similar technology is already used by patients in the US
University of Cambridge researchers tested the artificial pancreas on 46 patients and compared them to 40 who use existing insulin pump technology.
Insulin pumps monitor people’s blood sugar levels and warn them when it gets too low or high, so they know whether to inject insulin or eat more.
But the artificial pancreas – which is worn on a belt – can both monitor blood sugar and inject insulin automatically if blood sugar gets too high.
The device also allows patients to add doses of insulin manually, for example when they are about to eat a big meal.
Insulin is a hormone made by the pancreas in the healthy people and allows the body to absorb sugar from food to be used for energy.
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But people with type 1 diabetes do not make insulin in the pancreas so have to inject it in medicinal form. Some 400,000 people in the UK have type 1 diabetes, while the figure is around 1.2 million in the US.
In the 12-week Cambridge study, patients using the artificial pancreas spent almost two thirds of their time (64 per cent) in the ideal range for healthy blood sugar.
Whereas people using existing technology spent 54 per cent of their time in the ideal range and they spent, on average, two hours and 24 minutes longer with dangerously high blood sugar.
HOW DOES AN ARTIFICIAL PANCREAS WORK?
The artificial pancreas resembles an iPod and is strapped to patients’ clothing with a small monitor and pump fitted to their skin.
It works by continually monitoring their blood sugar and then giving them regular doses of insulin to ensure it stays at a normal level.
Older insulin pumps simply deliver a baseline level of insulin, and patients must monitor their sugar levels and give themselves more insulin to keep their blood sugar from getting too high.
Federal regulators in the US approved a first-of-a-kind artificial pancreas in 2016. Medtronic initially said the device would cost between $6,000 and $9,000.
If trials of similar artificial pancreases are successful, the devices could eventually be routinely used on the NHS.
The amount of time people spent with ‘dangerously’ high or low blood sugar fell by 25 per cent for people using the artificial pancreas, but rose by 18 per cent for people using an ordinary insulin pump.
The device was shown to work for children as young as six – a crucial finding for a condition which often strikes in childhood.
Experts say the successful trial adds to evidence backing calls for the device to be used in the UK.
Dr Emily Burns, head of research communications at Diabetes UK said: ‘This adds to a growing body of evidence which shows how safe and effective artificial pancreas technology is.
‘Even though the technology isn’t a cure, it has so many benefits; from minimising the risk of dangerously low blood sugar levels, to reducing anxieties and fears around blood sugar management and hopefully helping people with Type 1 diabetes avoid serious complications in the long run.
‘We’ve been investing in artificial pancreas technology for decades.
‘The evidence now clearly points to how impactful this technology could be if it is made accessible to as many people living Type 1 diabetes as possible.
‘We’re excited by the possibilities of artificial pancreas technology, and hope it reaches this country as soon as possible.’
The University of Cambridge’s study followed 86 six to 65-year-olds over 12 weeks during which time they didn’t control any aspects of their lives other than how they took insulin.
Rachel Connor, director of research partnerships at JDRF, the type 1 diabetes charity said: ‘These are great results. I congratulate Professor Hovorka on the vital work he is doing.
‘Type 1 diabetes is a challenging condition, but these results take us a step closer to changing the lives of the millions of people that live with the condition across the world.’
The research was presented at the annual meeting of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes in Berlin and published in medical journal The Lancet.
WHY IS IT IMPORTANT FOR DIABETES PATIENTS TO MEASURE THEIR GLUCOSE LEVELS?
Diabetes is a serious life-long condition that occurs when the amount of sugar in the blood is too high because the body can’t use it properly.
Patients have to regular monitor their glucose levels to prevent them from developing any potentially fatal complications.
Type 1 diabetes patients are often recommended to test their blood sugar at least four times a day. For type 2 patients, doctors advise to test twice a day.
Blood glucose levels should be between the ranges of 3.5–5.5mmol/L before meals and less than 8mmol/L, two hours after meals.
Diabetes patients have to regular monitor their glucose levels to prevent them from developing any potentially fatal complications
Hypoglycemia (when blood sugar drops below 4 mmol/L) can occasionally lead to patients falling into comas in severe cases.
However, it most often can be treated through eating or drinking 15-20g of fast acting carbohydrate, such 200ml of Lucozade Energy Original.
Sufferers can tell they are experiencing a hypo when they suddenly feel tired, have difficulty concentrating or feel dizzy.
Type 1 diabetes patients are more likely to experience a hypo, because of the medications they take, including insulin.
Hyperglycemia (when blood sugar is above 11.0 mmol/L two hours after a meal) can also have life-threatening complications.
It happens when the body either has too little insulin, seen in type 1, or it can’t use its supply properly, most often in type 2.
In the short-term, it can lead to conditions including ketoacidosis – which causes ketones to be released into the body.
If left untreated, hyperglycemia can lead to long-term complications, such as impotence and amputations of limbs.
Regular exercise can help to lower blood sugar levels over time, and following a healthy diet and proper meal planning can also avoid dangerous spikes.
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