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R_www.newscientist.com 2015 01956.txt.txt

#Bionic pancreas automatically controls diabeticsblood sugar SENSOR, pump action! An app linked to a glucose sensor and insulin pump can make life a lot easier for people with type 1 diabetes. he sense of potential freedom is amazing, says Juliet Hughes, mother of 8-year-old Felix, who took part in a trial to see if a bionic pancreas could free diabetics from the daily routine of monitoring and regulating their glucose levels (New england Journal of Medicine, doi. org/7s4). Type 1 diabetes is caused by destruction of beta cells in the pancreas that make insulin to control how much sugar circulates in the blood. When the pancreas is no longer in control, a person risks coma and death from plunging glucose levels. A glucose sensor and insulin pump, both attached to the abdomen, are used by some people with type 1 diabetes to manage their condition, but they still have to check their glucose levels themselves, and adjust their insulin intake manually. The bionic pancreas does this job itself, using an algorithm on a tablet computer or a phone to monitor a person blood glucose. When levels rise for example after a meal, the algorithm automatically sends instructions to the insulin pump. t tells the pump how much insulin to deliver and it does it day and night, says Roman Hovorka of the University of Cambridge. This means there is no need to wake up to check blood sugar levels throughout the night. To see if their bionic pancreas really would improve quality of life, Hovorka team ran a three-month trial involving 33 adults and 25 children. Compared with a sensor and pump without an algorithm, children using the bionic device spent half as much time with seriously low sugar levels, just 5 minutes a night. t took time to trust the system, but once we did, and saw the amazing results, it meant a lot more sleep for everyone, says Hughes e

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