The artificial pancreas, the holy grail of Type 1 diabetes blood sugar management and what many consider to be the next best thing to a cure, may be available in just a few years, according to researchers speaking at the American Diabetes Association’s (ADA) meeting in Orlando, Florida.
They say that the research into the complex system is progressing nicely, according to an article from Medical News Today. In a recent clinical trial funded by Diabetes UK, patients were able to improve their blood sugar levels overnight while using the artificial pancreas. The patients did not experience a greater risk of hypoglycemia.
The Artificial Pancreas combines three separate pieces of technology. It uses a continuous glucose monitor (CGM) to gauge the patient’s blood sugar levels. It uses an insulin pump, which coordinates with the CGM to deliver needed insulin to the patient. And it also uses a complicated computer program that is supposed to take in information about the patient’s blood sugar trends and help predict needed insulin doses. Despite being worn externally, its goal is to mimic an actual working pancreas. In people with Type 1 diabetes, their immune system goes haywire and mistakenly attacks and destroys insulin-producing beta cells in the pancreas. Insulin is the hormone that regulates blood sugar levels in the body. People need insulin to survive.
Currently, the CGM and insulin pump are both available, but work independently, meaning the user needs to look at the data from the CGM and decide how much insulin to deliver via the pump. The artificial pancreas does not require the intervention of the diabetic patient.
The most recent study is significant because alcohol was factored into the mix. Alcohol increases the risk of a low blood sugar event during the night or the next morning. In the most recent study, the patients consumed a glass of wine with their dinner.
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