(July 15, 2015) Living
with Type 1 diabetes requires constant monitoring of blood sugar levels and
injecting insulin daily. Now scientists are reporting in the ACS journal
Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research the development of an implantable
“artificial pancreas” that continuously measures a person’s blood sugar, or
glucose, level and can automatically release insulin as needed.
Type 1 diabetes, previously known as juvenile diabetes,
affects about 1.25 million Americans. About 200,000 of them are under 20 years
old. The condition arises when a person’s own immune system destroys the
pancreas cells that make insulin, the hormone that converts blood sugar into
energy. To make up for this loss of insulin production, patients must take
insulin daily. Current delivery methods involve multiple daily injections or
insulin pump therapy, both requiring the user to actively track glucose and
calculate the needed insulin dose. There is also a significant time lag between
when a dose is needed and when it can take effect. Francis J. Doyle III and
colleagues wanted to find a way to make monitoring and insulin delivery
automatic and needle-free.
The researchers designed an algorithm that monitors blood
sugar levels and computes an insulin dose that it delivers quickly and
automatically when necessary. The algorithm is designed to work with implanted
devices, specifically with an artificial pancreas, and would overcome the
delays experienced with current devices. Computer testing of the algorithm simulated
the rise and fall of glucose that would correspond to meals and an overnight
period of sleep. The artificial pancreas maintained blood glucose within the
target range nearly 80 percent of the time. The researchers say they will soon
test the device in animals.