Artificial Pancreas Maybe Near for Type One Diabetes Patients

Boston (DbTechNo) - An artificial pancreas maybe on the way to help diabetes patients automatically manage their blood sugar levels.

Diabetes occurs when the body’s pancreas is unable to function properly thus is unable to properly produce insulin which is a hormone that regulates the body’s blood sugar levels.

Researchers from the UK tested their new device on 17 children with type 1 diabetes who were in hospital at the time of the study.

They used complicated computer equipment and were able to operate a commercially available blood sugar monitoring device in conjuction with an insulin pump based on ever changing blood sugar readings.

Using the automated system, in 60% of cases the blood sugar of the children remained in the “normal” zone.

“These devices could transform the management of type 1 diabetes, but it is likely to be a gradual process,” said study leader Roman Hovorka.