Study Could Lead to New Insulin Dosage Devices

A study conducted by researchers at the University of Cambridge might change the way parents and children handle Type 1 diabetes. A group of children were outfitted with a glucose monitor that checked glucose levels throughout the night. The children were also fitted with a preprogramed insulin pump that injected insulin when the children reached a very low glucose level.

This new method of monitoring glucose levels proved to be much more effective than what most parents and their children do; that is, the parents must go in and check on the child every few hours during the night to make sure the glucose levels stay stable. In the study, no children attached to the monitoring system experienced low blood sugar, while nine children who relied on their parents experienced low glucose levels.

Although this system is effective, doctors warn that using two machines not programmed to work together might be dangerous. If the glucose monitor goes off warning of low blood sugar and the diabetic does not wake up, the insulin pump would continue to deliver insulin, making the problem worse. Scientists and doctors agree that technology needs to evolve more before machines could work as an artificial pancreas.