Artificial pancreas works well in home trial

The latest trial of an artificial pancreas system offers good news for people with type 1 diabetes -- the system lowered blood sugar levels without increasing the risk of dangerously low blood sugar (hypoglycemia), a new British study says. The testing, done at home by both adults and children, proved the system better than an insulin pump ¬at managing diabetes, the researchers found. "This bigger outpatient, real-world trial shows that this potentially transformative therapy works for everyone. You can use it in the real world. And, it's safe. The number one thing is that it's safe," said Aaron Kowalski, vice president of research for JDRF (formerly the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation). Kowalski wasn't directly involved in the research. However, JDRF has provided funding for this system, as well as other artificial pancreas systems, in development. An artificial pancreas combines existing diabetes technology -- insulin pumps and continuous glucose monitors -- with a sophisticated computer algorithm that tells these devices what to do when blood sugar levels are rising or falling.
Some artificial pancreas systems only deliver insulin, and others can administer both insulin and another hormone called glucagon. The artificial pancreas system used in the current trial only delivers insulin.
The system computes and administers insulin doses according to glucose levels detected by a continuous glucose monitor sensor, according to background information in the study.
However, it isn't fully automated (though some other systems in development are). People with type 1 diabetes still need to calculate how many carbohydrates are in the food they're eating. And, they must input that information into the software program, according to the study's senior author, Dr. Roman Hovorka, director of research at the University of Cambridge Metabolic Research Laboratories in the United Kingdom.
An effective artificial pancreas has the potential to vastly improve the lives of people with type 1 diabetes, an autoimmune disease in which the body's immune system mistakenly attacks and destroys insulin-producing beta cells in the pancreas.
Health Day

 

Artificial pancreas works well in home trial

The latest trial of an artificial pancreas system offers good news for people with type 1 diabetes -- the system lowered blood sugar levels without increasing the risk of dangerously low blood sugar (hypoglycemia), a new British study says. The testing, done at home by both adults and children, proved the system better than an insulin pump at managing diabetes, the researchers found. This bigger outpatient, real-world trial shows that this potentially transformative therapy works for everyone. You can use it in the real world. And, its safe. The number one thing is that its safe, said Aaron Kowalski, vice president of research for JDRF (formerly the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation). Kowalski wasnt directly involved in the research. However, JDRF has provided funding for this system, as well as other artificial pancreas systems, in development. An artificial pancreas combines existing diabetes technology -- insulin pumps and continuous glucose monitors -- with a sophisticated computer algorithm that tells these devices what to do when blood sugar levels are rising or falling. Some artificial pancreas systems only deliver insulin, and others can administer both insulin and another hormone called glucagon. The artificial pancreas system used in the current trial only delivers insulin. The system computes and administers insulin doses according to glucose levels detected by a continuous glucose monitor sensor, according to background information in the study. However, it isnt fully automated (though some other systems in development are). People with type 1 diabetes still need to calculate how many carbohydrates are in the food theyre eating. And, they must input that information into the software program, according to the studys senior author, Dr. Roman Hovorka, director of research at the University of Cambridge Metabolic Research Laboratories in the United Kingdom. An effective artificial pancreas has the potential to vastly improve the lives of people with type 1 diabetes, an autoimmune disease in which the bodys immune system mistakenly attacks and destroys insulin-producing beta cells in the pancreas. Health Day