Pump for diabetics on dialysis
Artificial pancreas successfully tested in diabetics
Svetlana Maslova, Hi-tech+
The work of the pancreas is imitated by a device developed by scientists from the University of Cambridge. Previously, they successfully tested the device for patients with type one diabetes, and now they have presented promising results for people with type two diabetes.
The artificial pancreas is a small portable device that performs the functions of a healthy organ – it controls the level of glucose in the blood and delivers the necessary amount of insulin. This is a closed-loop system: the device works in tandem with a smartphone in automatic mode and independently regulates glucose levels. Special software on the phone monitors the operation of the insulin pump and regulates the dose of the drug.
Previously, a less advanced system was successfully tested in patients with type I diabetes mellitus. Now scientists are reporting new prospects for the control of type 2 diabetes, even against the background of severe complications.
The article by Boughton et al. Fully automated closed-loop glucose control compared with standard insulin therapy in adults with type 2 diabetes requiring dialysis: an open-label, randomized crossover trial is published in the journal Nature Medicine – VM.
The device was tested on 26 patients who needed dialysis for health reasons. The first group of participants received a new device, and the control group received standard insulin therapy. The researchers compared how long the participants in each group maintained a safe blood sugar level.
Optimal glucose levels were observed in 53% of the volunteers from the first group. There were 38% of them in the control group. The values of the first group are equivalent to about 3.5 hours per day of extra time, the scientists estimated.
The average blood sugar level was lower in the first group. Using the device also shortened the duration of hypoglycemia – dangerously low blood sugar levels.
By the end of the experiment – on the twentieth day – the time spent in the target range for glucose levels increased to 60%.
All participants of the experiment stated that they were ready to recommend the new device to others, 92% of them reported a decrease in the amount of time for disease control. In other words, people's quality of life improved significantly, because they didn't have to constantly worry about blood sugar levels and had more time to do their own things.
"Now that we have proved that the artificial pancreas is effective in one of the most difficult groups of patients, it is possible to expand the use of the device for a wider range of patients with type II diabetes," concluded the author of the work Charlotte Boughton.
Currently, the team is already testing the device in patients with type 2 diabetes without complications of the disease, as well as in difficult situations, for example, before and after operations.
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