Artificial Pancreas

Artificial Pancreas

People with diabetes have a range of technologies to help keep their blood sugar in check, including continuous monitors that can keep tabs on glucose levels throughout the day and insulin pumps that can deliver the drug. But the diabetic is still responsible for making executive decisions--when to test his blood or give himself a shot--and the system has plenty of room for human error. Now, however, researchers say that the first generations of an artificial pancreas, which would be able to make most dosing decisions without the wearer's intervention, could be available within the next few years.

Artificial pancreas: Scientists are pairing continuous glucose monitors, such as the device pictured here (white device, top), with insulin pumps, such as the one pictured here (pagerlike device, bottom), to create an artificial pancreas for people with diabetes. In this commercial system by Medtronic, the glucose monitor wirelessly transmits data to the pump via a meter. However, the user must still decide how much insulin he needs and dose it out himself. In an artificial pancreas, specially-designed algorithms would calculate how much insulin is required, and how quickly, and then signal the drug’s delivery without human intervention.

Artificial Pancreas Project