New artificial pancreas enters final stage of testing

Final testing is set to begin on a new artificial pancreas system that can be used to automatically monitor and regulate blood sugar levels in people with type 1 diabetes.

Developed by University of Virginia School of Medicine, the artificial pancreas has shown promise in early trials and is now set to be assessed in a pair of studies looking at how it works in real-life settings.

The artificial pancreas platform – known as InControl – consists of a reconfigured smartphone running advanced algorithms, linked wirelessly to a blood-sugar monitor and an insulin pump, as well as a remote-monitoring site.

Instead of using finger-prick blood tests to assess blood-sugar levels followed by manual insulin injections, this system is able to oversee and adjust insulin delivery as needed, while assistance can also be accessed via telemedicine.

The first planned study will see 240 type 1 diabetes patients testing the safety and effectiveness of the artificial pancreas for six months through regular everyday use, while the second will test a control algorithm for the system in 180 patients.

Dr Boris Kovatchev, director of the University of Virginia Center for Diabetes Technology, said: "Our foremost goal is to establish a new diabetes treatment paradigm. The artificial pancreas is not a single-function device; it is an adaptable, wearable network surrounding the patient in a digital treatment ecosystem."