Scientists at the University of Cambridge in the UK have successfully tested an artificial pancreas designed for use by patients with type 2 diabetes.

The device, based on a special algorithm, doubled the time during which patients’ sugar levels remained within the desired limits compared to conventional treatment, and, accordingly, halved the time during which patients had high sugar (glucose) levels. .

An estimated 415 million people worldwide are living with type 2 diabetes, and medical costs are estimated at $760 billion a year. In type 2 diabetes, glucose levels – blood sugar – become very high. Under normal conditions, levels are controlled by the hormone insulin, but in diabetics, its production is impaired, resulting in higher than normal glucose levels. Over time, this can cause serious problems with the eyes, kidneys, nerves, heart, etc.

This condition is usually treated with a combination of lifestyle changes (healthier eating, more exercise) and blood sugar lowering drugs. As an alternative solution, an artificial pancreas has been developed that combines an insulin pump with a special application with an algorithm that each time calculates how much insulin the device should automatically inject in order to find sugar within the normal range. To date, this device has been tested in patients with type 1 diabetes and only in patients with severe type 2 diabetes requiring hemodialysis. Now, for the first time, it has been tested on a wider population of patients with type 2 diabetes without the need for hemodialysis.

Researchers at the Wellcome-MRC Institute for Metabolic Sciences in Cambridge, who published a related publication in the medical journal Nature Medicine, tested the artificial pancreas on 26 patients, who were randomly divided into two groups: one tried the device for two months. and then received conventional treatment, and the second (control group) first received conventional treatment, and then used an artificial pancreas for two months.

It was found that, on average, patients with artificial pancreas were within the target glucose level in 66% of cases, compared with only 32% in the control group. In addition, members of the second group had high sugar levels in 67% of cases compared to 33% in the artificial pancreas group.

Even the use of the device reduced the level of glycated hemoglobin (up to 7.3% versus 8.7% in the control group). The higher the level of the latter, the higher the risk of developing complications in a diabetic. Finally, none of the artificial pancreas users developed hypoglycemia or dangerously low blood sugar levels.

“Many people with type 2 diabetes struggle to control their blood sugar with currently available treatments, such as insulin injections. An artificial pancreas may be a safe and effective solution to help them. This technology is easy to use and can be safely applied at home,” said lead researcher Dr. Charlotte Bouton.

The participants in the clinical trial themselves said they were happy that their sugar levels could be controlled completely automatically with the new system, eliminating the need for insulin injections, finger pricking, constant worry about sugar control, etc. . . . The researchers are now planning a much larger, multicenter study that will confirm their initial positive results and then apply to regulatory agencies for marketing approval of the device so it can become commercially available.