Artificial pancreas to revolutionise diabetes management Friday, 12 September 2014

An 'artificial pancreas', which could revolutionise the way diabetes is managed, is being jointly developed by a team of engineers from the University of Newcastle and diabetes researchers from Hunter Medical Research Institute (HMRI).

The researchers have created a simulator artificial pancreas (AP) portable device they claim is smarter than existing solutions.

The AP is able to autonomously adjust insulin delivery in response to rising and falling levels of glucose in the blood. 

Based on closed loop technology, the system consists of a sensor to detect blood glucose levels and an insulin infusion pump, and works continuously via a bluetooth link to a smartphone-based management system.

Using an intelligent control algorithm, the device calculates a patient’s insulin needs in real time and initiates delivery of a precisely appropriate dose of insulin. 

It is the algorithm which calculates the dose that is the device’s secret, according to Laureate Prof Graham Goodwin from the University of Newcastle's Research Centre for Complex Dynamic Systems and Control.

“In our modelling we can control blood glucose levels to within 5% accuracy, but it’s likely the unit will need to be calibrated to the individual and be adaptive with time,” Goodwin said.

Clinical trials for Type 1 diabetes are planned for 2015 after the simulator achieved outstanding results in FDA approved pre-clinical trials. It is possible the AP could be adapted for Type 2 or other diabetes as well.

Scientists in Australia and beyond have long been trying to develop a bionic pancreas that would take the guesswork out of diabetes management. 

Currently patients need to calculate how many carbohydrates are in each meal and check blood glucose levels with a fingerprick test every time they eat to work out the insulin dose.

The goal is a fully autonomous system which won’t require any of that.

“It’s early days but we think we have a chance of building a world-beating system with smarter technology and better blood glucose management than other therapies have offered,” Goodwin said.

Image caption:  (L-R) Dr Diego Carrasco, Laureate Prof Graham Goodwin, Dr Adrian Medioli and Carly Stephen.

Photo: University of Newcastle

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