Researchers from Boston University and Massachusetts General Hospital found that using bionic pancreas rather than insulin pumps can be more beneficial for type 1 diabetes patients regulating their blood glucose levels.
The researchers concluded that the patients could better control their blood glucose levels using bionic pancreas. Currently, the only way to monitor the glucose levels in the blood is through insulin pumps and fingerstick tests.
"The bionic pancreas system reduced the average blood glucose to levels that have been shown to dramatically reduce the risk of diabetic complications," said Steven Russell, co-author of the study and assistant professor of medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital, in a press release.
The researchers developed a bihormonal bionic pancreas equipped with a tiny sensor that could be inserted into the skin. The sensor could monitor the glucose levels in the blood. In one scenario, 20 adults wore the device combination with a wireless monitor. This group was free to roam around Boston for five days and do whatever they pleased. In another group, 32 adolescents wore the same device combination for five days during a diabetes camp for children.
After analyzing the data, the researchers found that the adults who wore the bionic pancreas experienced at least 37 percent fewer interventions to stabilize low blood glucose levels, as well as a 200 percent reduction in hypoglycemia. The adolescents, on the other hand, reported a 200 percent decrease on their need for interventions to address the hypoglycemia. Both groups also displayed significant improvement in their glucose levels especially at night.
"The performance of our system in both adults and adolescents exceeded our expectations under very challenging real-world conditions," said Ed Damiano, senior author of the study and an associate professor of biomedical engineering at Boston University, in a press release.
Further details of the study were published in the June 16 issue of New England Journal of Medicine.