HELPING YOU LIVE AN ORDINARY LIFE

Researchers from the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences have successfully trialled an artificial pancreas system to help people with type 1 diabetes control their blood sugar levels. This ‘organ’ – insulin pump and glucose monitor – is essentially “trying to behave like the pancreas of a person without diabetes”, through an algorithm on a smartphone that regulates your glucose levels and then automatically delivers appropriate levels of insulin based on activities, meals and sleep. The 12-week test saw significant improvements in the subject, including reduced levels of haemoglobin and less time spent in a hypoglycaemic state. Although there are still more tests and approvals required before bringing this to the market, the outlook is positive.