Artificial pancreas: an emerging approach to treat Type 1 diabetes

Abstract

Intensive insulin therapy aimed at achieving normal glucose levels significantly reduces the complications that are associated with diabetes but is also associated with an increased risk of low glucose levels (hypoglycemia). The growing use of continuous glucose monitors has stimulated the development of the artificial pancreas, a closed-loop insulin-delivery system aimed at restoring near-normal glucose levels while reducing the risk of hypoglycemia. The artificial pancreas comprises three components: a continuous glucose monitor, an insulin infusion pump and a control algorithm delivering insulin according to real-time glucose readings. In this article, we review closed-loop glucose control, including its components, development, testing and clinical application.

Keywords::

• closed-loop insulin delivery
• continuous glucose monitor
• control algorithm
• diabetes
• euglycemia
• insulin pump
• subcutaneous route

Financial & competing interests disclosure

This work was supported by The Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, Diabetes UK and the National Institute for Health Research Biomedical Research Center. Roman Hovorka has served as a consultant to Roche Diagnostics and Novo Nordisk, and has received lecture fees from Minimed Medtronic, Abbott Diabetes Care, Lifescan and B. Braun. Mark Evans has acted as a consultant for Minimed Medtronic, Takeda and Sanofi-Aventis The authors have no other relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript apart from those disclosed.

No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript.