New artificial pancreas uses two hormones instead of one
The JDRF Artificial Pancreas Consortium has made significant advancements in their quest to develop a safe and effective automated diabetes management system, with trials already showing it is possible to maintain healthy blood glucose levels in people with type 1 diabetes without the need for human intervention.
To date, the closed-loop systems tested have combined an insulin pump with glucose monitoring and complex computer programs designed to predict and activate insulin release as required. Whilst results of these trials have been overwhelmingly positive, researchers have found it to be more difficult than first anticipated to finely tune blood glucose levels – particularly when protecting patients against potentially dangerous hypoglycemia caused by too much insulin.
Dr Edward Damiano
This research program, led by Dr Edward Damiano in Boston USA, looked to the healthy pancreas for inspiration and came up with the idea of adding glucagon into the system.
Glucagon is a hormone produced naturally by the healthy pancreas to oppose the effect of insulin – finely tuning glucose levels by releasing the right amount of insulin or glucagon depending on how much glucose is required for the body to function. As most people with type 1 diabetes will know, glucagon is also used in hospitals to remedy hypoglycemic emergencies.
In this trial, the researchers developed a predictive computer program and pump technology that allowed for minute amounts of both insulin and glucagon to be released in response to fluctuating blood glucose. They combined this with intravenous glucose monitoring and tested the system on 11 hospital-based patients with type 1 diabetes.
Whilst the system did require some tweaking to account for unexpected differences in insulin absorption rates, the final results showed that all 11 patients maintained blood glucose levels within the target healthy range throughout the duration of the trial, even after eating high-carbohydrate meals.
Future trials are now planned to investigate the potential for introducing a commercially available continuous glucose monitor and to test the success of the system in patients experiencing realistic life situations such as exercising or illness.
Find out more about the JDRF Artificial Pancreas Project.
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This makes so much sense. I hope this project gets the funding it needs.
Would it still work with patients with low insulin requirements,
I have been quite sceptical about the artificial pancreas. The delay between injecting and when the insulin is active just make a no human intervention product seem impossible. That is until now.
Including glycogen. Brilliant!
I cannot wait.
i hope something this beneficial can be rushed into production and actually be affordable!!
Glucagon as the balancer! It seems so obvious!
Talk about Deja vu. My son has just started using the new veo pump and CGM and I was only today wondering why the pump doesn't contain a vial whereby glycogen could be administered. Beats trying to wake a 3 year old for lollies in the middle of the night.
Fingers crossed
lollies for diabetics?????.. for a 3 year old….
.. try rubbing honey on the cheeks inside the mouth.
"Researchers have found it to be more difficult than first anticipated to finely tune blood glucose levels". Maybe the endo that told me several years ago I just need to try harder to tightly control my blood sugars should join this research team if he thinks it is such a breeze
That was the last time I saw him.
This is really good news. It would be so nice to take the guess work out of it all.
Can i liase with you with how your son and you as parents cope with the unsulin pump and what made you decide to follow the path of the pump at his age.
thank you
Trish , Diabetes nurse Educator