In another few years diabetics may be treated using an artificial pancreas developed by Professor Joan Taylor professor of Pharmaceutics at De Montfort University (DMU), Leicester. This could mean freedom from daily insulin injections she said.
Normally blood glucose levels are controlled by the hormone insulin, released by the pancreas when required but people who have diabetes either do not produce insulin, do not produce enough insulin or the insulin they do produce does not work properly.
This new device is made of a metal casing containing a supply of insulin kept in place by a gel barrier. When the body's glucose levels rise, the gel barrier starts to liquefy and lets insulin out. This insulin goes into the veins around the gut then into the liver acting much like a normal pancreas would. As the insulin lowers the glucose level in the body, the gel reacts by hardening again and stopping the supply. This means that the device has a regulator in place that does not allow over or under dose.
The device is now in its pre-clinical testing stage. When finally approved, it would be implanted between the lowest rib and the hip and topped up with insulin every few weeks.
Victoria King, head of research at the charity Diabetes UK, said that the implant could have advantages over long-term insulin pumps, which require users to test their blood glucose levels frequently. “This device, once developed and tested, could take things a stage further and - although clearly at an early stage - could potentially prove to be an exciting development in improving diabetes management for some people…However, it will be some time before this will be available for people living with diabetes…Effective diabetes control is crucial in preventing the life-changing complications associated with the condition such as blindness, cardiovascular disease, amputation and kidney failure,” she said.
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