Professor Joan Taylor of De Montfort University has dedicated almost 20 years to building the world’s first artificial pancreas. This year, her research took a massive step forward with the construction of a life-sized and refillable model which has been used in pre-clinical trials, providing proof that the invention works.
The artificial pancreas is designed to administer appropriate doses of insulin to diabetics as and when they need it – bringing to an end the daily chore of having injections up to four times a day.
Credit: De Montfort University
It is made of a metal casing containing a reservoir of insulin which is kept in place by a special gel barrier invented and patented by Professor Taylor.
When glucose levels in the body fluids rise, the gel barrier starts to liquefy and lets insulin out. This insulin feeds into the veins around the gut – the mesenteric vasculature – then into the portal vein to the liver, mimicking the normal pancreas to liver blood supply of insulin.
As the insulin lowers glucose levels in the body, the gel reacts to this by hardening again and stopping the insulin from leaking out. It means the right amount of insulin is released automatically every time the body needs it. The device is implanted in the body in the area between the lowest rib and the hip and is topped up using a fine tubing circuit under the skin.
Many diabetics worry about going ‘low’, a hypoglycaemic attack, which is an acute risk associated
with overenthusiastic insulin treatment. The artificial pancreas is a simple and cheap solution to the problem and could be helping people in just five years time totally revolutionising the treatment of diabetes for millions of people around the world.
Source:
De Montfort University
Big Ideas for the Future Report
The artificial pancreas is designed to administer appropriate doses of insulin to diabetics as and when they need it – bringing to an end the daily chore of having injections up to four times a day.
It is made of a metal casing containing a reservoir of insulin which is kept in place by a special gel barrier invented and patented by Professor Taylor.
When glucose levels in the body fluids rise, the gel barrier starts to liquefy and lets insulin out. This insulin feeds into the veins around the gut – the mesenteric vasculature – then into the portal vein to the liver, mimicking the normal pancreas to liver blood supply of insulin.
As the insulin lowers glucose levels in the body, the gel reacts to this by hardening again and stopping the insulin from leaking out. It means the right amount of insulin is released automatically every time the body needs it. The device is implanted in the body in the area between the lowest rib and the hip and is topped up using a fine tubing circuit under the skin.
Many diabetics worry about going ‘low’, a hypoglycaemic attack, which is an acute risk associated
with overenthusiastic insulin treatment. The artificial pancreas is a simple and cheap solution to the problem and could be helping people in just five years time totally revolutionising the treatment of diabetes for millions of people around the world.
Source:
De Montfort University
Big Ideas for the Future Report
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