Artificial pancreas ready for diabetics to try at home, say research scientists

Trials of an artificial pancreas that can monitor the blood sugar levels of people with diabetes and then deliver insulin more accurately should move out of hospital into homes as soon as possible, funders of the research programme say.

Promising evidence that adults may be better able to control their condition overnight has emerged from a Cambridge University-led study involving 24 adults and using developments of existing technologies. It was funded by the charity Diabetes UK, and follows encouraging research using similar equipment on pregnant mothers and children with Type 1 diabetes.

Type 1 usually strikes people before they are 40 years of age and affects about one in 10 of those with diabetes. They need to test their own blood sugar levels regularly before injecting themselves with insulin or setting a pump which releases the hormone via a cannula under the skin.

The new system involves placing a small circular patch on the body which continuously monitors glucose levels, sending the results by radio signals to the insulin pump which then automatically delivers the appropriate amount of insulin. This should reduce the incidence of "hypos", when blood sugar levels fall too low, possibly rendering a person unconscious or causing unpleasant symptoms, including sweating, tingling in the lips and a pounding heart.

The latest tests, involving 10 men and 14 women aged 18-65, suggested a 22% improvement in the time participants kept their blood glucose levels in a safe range, halving the time they spent with low blood-glucose levels and reducing the risk of both short- and long-term complications. Half the participants were monitored overnight after consuming a medium-sized meal and the others after a larger meal and alcohol.

Dr Roman Hovorka, who led the research, said: "Hypoglycaemia remains a major challenge, especially during the night, so it's encouraging to see such promising results from our trial using commercially available devices.

"The study is a stepping stone to testing the artificial pancreas at home and suggests that the artificial pancreas may be suitable in adults as well as in children and adolescents we found previously." Iain Frame, head of research at Diabetes UK, said: "The improvements in glucose control overnight using this new technology are impressive, and it is good to see this work develop with the addition of testing the effects following a meal with some wine.

"We now need to see an extension of this study, one which tests larger numbers of people, and then take it out of the hospital and in to the home setting."