Shawna Wood would like nothing better than to go back to bed for another 24 hours of perfect blood sugar control. The 50-year old Wilsonville, Ore. woman has Type 1 diabetes, and she recently took part in a clinical trial of an automated replacement for her pancreas, which stopped producing insulin 9 years ago. She and 12 other Oregonians with Type 1 diabetes tested an "artificial pancreas" using a new approach in a trial with Legacy Health's research program.
“It was like not being diabetic anymore”
Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease that attacks the beta cells in the pancreas. The beta cells produce insulin, which regulates the body's metabolism. Without insulin, the blood sugar level in the blood rises to dangerous and even fatal levels. An artificial pancreas measures the level of sugar in the patient's blood with an inserted sensor, and dispenses insulin based on the measurements.
Because some first generation artificial pancreases only dispense insulin, researchers are looking to ensure that people can avoid very low sugar levels, or hypoglycemia. In people that do not have diabetes, insulin works in concert with glucagon, which is produced by the alpha cells in the pancreas. The delicate balance of the two hormones has never been replicated in humans by a mechanical device - until now.
W. Kenneth Ward, M.D., a senior scientist at Legacy Health, led a group that investigated the combination glucagon and insulin therapy in an artificial pancreas. There were 21 experiments in which the device was tested for approximately 24 hours, and the incidence of hypoglycemia was markedly reduced. In fact, nighttime hypoglycemia was reduced nearly to zero.
Wood said the two trials were rejuvenating.
"It was like not being diabetic anymore," she said. "I've had some short-term memory problems since I became diabetic, and when I came off the trials my thoughts were clear and focused."
She attributes the "fogginess" to the fluctuations in her blood sugar levels, which range from low to high over the course of a day. Regular self-testing and insulin injections are an imperfect means of control, and the reason the development of an artificial pancreas is so important.