Progress Toward a “Bionic Pancreas” for Type 1 Diabetics

In a small trial, home use of the device improved glycemic control with minimal patient input.

Currently available devices that link insulin pumps to continuous glucose monitors (CGMs) still require patients with diabetes to check their blood glucose regularly, count calories, and review and approve bolus insulin doses. Automated systems requiring less patient intervention have been investigated mainly in highly controlled settings and have required substantial individual programming.

In this government-funded randomized crossover trial, investigators assigned 39 adults with type 1 diabetes that was managed with insulin pumps (with or without CGMs) to spend 11 days using a “bionic pancreas” (a CGM linked to an algorithmically-controlled insulin-glucagon pump; NEJM JW Gen Med Aug 1 2014 and N Engl J Med 2014; 371:313) and another 11 da…

Reviewing Author

Bruce Soloway, MD

Disclosures

Editorial BoardsNew RoAR News (http://www.newroarnews.org)

Bruce Soloway, MD

Disclosures

Editorial BoardsNew RoAR News (http://www.newroarnews.org)

Progress Toward a “Bionic Pancreas” for Type 1 Diabetics

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Reviewing Author