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Ground-breaking artificial pancreas could revolutionise diabetes treatment

'Game changer' available in the USA checks blood sugar levels and delivers life-saving insulin as required

DIABETES treatment could be revolutionised by an artificial pancreas developed by top scientists.

The "game changer" now available in the USA checks blood sugar levels and delivers life-saving insulin as required.

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New artificial pancreas was approved by American's Food and Drug Administration regulator for Type 1 diabetesCredit: AP:Associated Press

Sarah Johnson, a director at JDRF, the Type 1 diabetes charity, said: "We have been funding research for this breakthrough for over a decade. "We are incredibly excited about it.

"Our next effort will be to get UK regulatory approval and get it to people through the NHS."
Professor Bruce Buckingham, a specialist in diabetes at Stanford University, California, who helped run trials, said: "This is a real game changer in controlling blood glucose levels and a revolution in diabetes treatment.
"It has been shown to work in Type 1 diabetes patients, but it could also be used on people with Type 2."
Recent NHS Digital figures revealed the number of people with Type 2 diabetes - associated with obesity and poor diet - increased to almost 1.5 million in the last decade.
Last week the new artificial pancreas was approved by American's Food and Drug Administration regulator for Type 1 diabetes after trials on 100 adults and 40 children.
Now UK researchers are pushing for UK regulatory approval.

MINIMED 670G

How ground-breaking device works

The MiniMed 670G can be implanted anywhere on the body.

It features a sensor the size of a large coin that monitors glucose levels and a separate insulin pump, the size of a wafer-thin matchbox, that responds to the monitor and automatically infuses insulin into the body as needed via a catheter.

This frees patients of the need constantly to check blood glucose levels and deliver their own insulin injections to avoid serious complications, including sudden death if blood sugar plunges too low.

All people with Type 1 diabetes and many with insulin-dependent Type 2 must constantly check their blood sugar throughout the day, injecting insulin according to what they eat and how much they exercise.

Laura Carver, 28, who lives in Wymondham, Norfolk, with husband Gordon and baby Sonny, who used the device.
"It was brilliant, aside from a cure it was the next best thing and I hardly had to think about my condition," said Laura.
"If the technology was available for use here on a permanent basis I would jump at the chance."

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