Diabetes Treatment - Artificial Pancreas

In Bethesda, Maryland, United States of America, scientists are working on a groundbreaking project, the creation of an artificial pancreas! They allege that in a few years time, it will become possible to monitor blood sugar levels and inject insulin into diabetes patients continuously by integrating glucose monitoring and insulin pumps into a seamless artificial pancreas package.

In a meeting a meeting at the National Institutes of Health, the scientists said that the mechanical pancreas that they propose can obviate the need for fingersticks and insulin injections which is required several times a day for diabetes patients.

Dr. Roman Hovorka of Britain's University of Cambridge in collaboration with Abbott Laboratories and Medtronic who is currently the No. 1 maker of insulin pumps and continuous monitors has been testing the experimental device. He said that they are on the brink of first generation artificial pancreas. Dr Hovorka’s and his team have been testing the prototype in type-1 diabetes patients; a condition where the body mistakenly destroys the insulin making cells in the pancreas causing an autoimmune disease.

The researchers implant a glucose sensor under the skin of diabetes patient which continuously transmits reading to a monitoring computer. The computer will calculates the right amount of insulin required by the patient, this reading is delivered to an insulin pump which is worn by the patient. They have succeeded in this testing and are ready to launch it in real life; in the homes of patients. Current the team is sorting out a full time nurse in each volunteer’s home, in case of emergency.

The total number of American diabetes patient’s is estimated to be around 24 million, with 5 to 10 % of them diagnosed with type 1 condition. Insulet estimates the potential of the market at 4.3 billion USD. This is base on an estimated 23% of type 1 patients tend to use insulin pumps. But experts say that the market value would be higher since chronic type 2 patients who have to use insulin pumps are also a target for the developer.

It is important to realize that type 1 diabetes patients require continuous monitoring because their blood sugar levels toggle far up and down frequently. Dipping levels can be fatal and if they go too far up eventually organs will be damaged. All these years it had been the job of parents to frequently check up on the blood levels of their diabetic children and to inject insulin. But with this artificial pancreas system, this loop can be closed and the tedious job can be done by computer even during night time.