Technology News...
Development of a sophisticated artificial pancreas holds po-
tential to transform the lives of patients withType 1 diabetes
Patients under the age of five are a particularly vulnerable group for
Type 1 diabetes. Too young to recognise the
shaking and dizziness that warn of a drop in
their blood sugar, they are at high risk of devel-
oping overnight hypoglycaemia. Now, a clinical
trial with this age group is testing an ‘artificial
pancreas’, developed by the group of
Dr Ro-
man Hovorka
, Director of Research at the
University of Cambridge’s Metabolic Research
Laboratories.“Using an off-the-shelf insulin
pump and continuous glucose sensor, we’ve
developed a computer algorithm to control
their function in a closed-loop fashion, deliver-
ing the correct amount of insulin according to blood sugar levels,” he
said.“By maintaining tight control of blood sugar, this has the potential
to revolutionise the treatment of patients with Type 1 diabetes and
significantly improve their quality of life.” Prototype devices are being
commercialised by Cambridge Enterprise, the University’s commer-
cialisation arm.“We hope to make the overnight closed-loop system
widely available in the next three to five years,” he said.
Improved chemical sensors track and control emissions
Sensitive, low-cost silicon carbide-based gas sensors developed at
Linköping University Division of Applied Sensor Science
can
detect toxic emissions and hazardous nanoparticulate matter in previ-
ously untenable environments.
