Artificial Pancreas Update

[SamJB]

Just received a very interesting paper for the Artificial Pancreas' clinical trial. The trial lasted 2 days, included meals, exercise and overnight readings. Here's a link:

http://www.artificialpancreas.org/uploa ... e_2012.pdf

It stayed under 10 mmol/l 70% of the time and under 4 mmol/l only 0.7% of the time (unfortunately the units I'm the paper are American). Perhaps the hyper frequency is not as good as many of us manage, but for an early stage clinical trial, it is very promising. No doubt it can be improved with better carbohydrate dosing/choices.

The paper says the next step is to conduct a "free-living" trial. Just imagine the day when you don't need to manage your diabetes any more. It would be amazing!!

 

[noblehead]

Small but progressive steps, would love to see the day where insulin injections and bg monitoring are a thing of the past :thumbup:

 

[PaulAuster]

''A trial testing a wearable version of the system under free-living
conditions is justified.''

Great news.

 

[MrsDMiles]

Hope this is available by time Oscar is teenager.. 10 years to go xxx


Sent from the Diabetes Forum App

 

[PaulAuster]

Hope this is available by time Oscar is teenager.. 10 years to go xxx


Sent from the Diabetes Forum App

10 years is a good mark. We'll surely have something, if not artificial pancreas, something else.

 

[MrsDMiles]

Really hope so!! I know thing aren't so bad now but I'm such a worrier xxx


Sent from the Diabetes Forum App

 

[pumppimp]

Good stuff,
Was this from the previous post about the girl who was writing a blog about being on it? This was published a year ago and it always takes a while to get published so hopefully we are a few years down the line with it now. It would be good to see them use a few different types of CGM though when I was doing my research as I want to get one it seemed to me that the freestyle was the most inaccurate compared with the dexcom and the Medtronic.
If I had money I'd definitely invest in this.

 

[ElyDave]

So it's possible - that's a matter of fine tuning all the algorithms and control loops.

The real question is when will those who control the purse strings of the NHS realise that techniques like this that stand a chance of avoiding complications might actually be a better idea than waiting for those complications and treating them? That's the biggest barrier in my opinion.

 

[pumppimp]

Hi guys here's a link hopefully working to glus website, I haven't watched it yet as I'm in the library I'll watch it tonight when I get home. There should be some useful info on there about how far they are coming along with this in America. There are seven short videos each focusing on a different question, there will also be the blog of Anna Florens who trialled the closed loop system over 5 days whilst going about her normal routine exercise carby meals etc. Definitely worth a read for those who are interested.
https://myglu.org/articles/bionic-pancr ... ng-insulin
you might need to copy and paste sorry, enjoy. Laura

 

[iHs]

Things are also coming on in the UK too. JDRF fund research into many ventures.

Google Bio Inspired Artifical Pancreas and follow the twitter feeds (Imp College) to see the latest developments. I'm optomistic for the future :thumbup:

 

[iHs]

This is well worth watching - iphone, bionic pancreas with glucagon

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KQTJSQ-0k7E

 

[AlexMBrennan]

No doubt it can be improved with better carbohydrate dosing/choices

Are you saying that T1 diabetes can be fixed by diet? Then why do we bother with this research at all?

However, that is the crux of the matter - this artificial pancreas only uses BG as input, which means that it can never work as well as a healthy person (who will release insulin in response to eating) or indeed a diabetic who has learned how to bolus for meals; in fact, the study arguably "cheats" a bit by having such a bolus and fixed carb meals.

 

[SamJB]

No, I'm afraid you've misunderstood. I expect they can optimise the results by changing carbohydrate doses or choices - I.e reduce carbohydrate portions or consume low GI carbs.

If I was told I'd have to have fixed amounts of carbs in a meal and I'd never have to manage my diabetes, I'd jump at the chance. Still very early days and I'd expect there's a lot more optimisation in their techniques, wouldn't you, Alex?

 

[AlexMBrennan]

Still very early days and I'd expect there's a lot more optimisation in their techniques, wouldn't you, Alex?

My opinion is that the artificial pancreas cannot become a viable alternative (I.e. offering better control than your average diabetic can achieve with MDI or pumps and education like DAFNE, possibly assisted by various "smart" meters) unless the calculations account for meals; my impression was that they were hoping that "better algorithms" will somehow get around that problem.