Advancements in Type 1 Diabetes Treatment: The Dual-Hormone Artificial Pancreas
Overview of Diabetes and Its Challenges
A recent press release from the American Diabetes Association highlighted the development of a dual-hormone releasing artificial pancreas designed for individuals with type 1 diabetes. This condition is characterized by difficulties in regulating glucose levels, leading to complications related to imbalanced blood sugar.
Study on the New Artificial Pancreas
The press release referenced a study titled “Insulin-plus-Pramlintide Artificial Pancreas in Type 1 Diabetes—Randomized Controlled Trial.” This research indicates that the new artificial pancreas demonstrates improved glucose control compared to traditional, first-generation insulin-delivering models.
Comparing Old and New Models
The new artificial pancreas is equipped to deliver both insulin and pramlintide, addressing the needs of individuals with type 1 diabetes who struggle to maintain healthy blood sugar levels due to insufficient insulin and amylin hormones. Pramlintide, a synthetic version of the amylin hormone, plays a role in glucose regulation.
The study involved 12 adults with type 1 diabetes who used an older generation insulin-releasing artificial pancreas. They were tested with both a rapid release insulin-pramlintide artificial pancreas and a regular release version over 24-hour periods.
Effectiveness of the Dual-Hormone Artificial Pancreas
Results showed that the rapid release dual-hormone artificial pancreas was more effective at maintaining glucose levels over an extended period than the first-generation model. This advanced system also led to lower average glucose levels and reduced variability among patients. However, when used overnight, both the rapid release and first-generation systems displayed similar effectiveness, although two patients using the rapid release model experienced nausea, while none reported this with the older model.
In contrast, the regular release dual-system performed comparably to the older generation insulin-releasing artificial pancreas.
Expert Insights
Dr. Ahmad Haidar, the study’s lead author from McGill University in Ottawa, Canada, expressed optimism regarding the dual-hormone artificial pancreas due to the absence of adverse side effects observed in this model.
Conclusion
The findings from this study, along with the accompanying press release, suggest that an artificial pancreas capable of delivering both insulin and pramlintide presents significant advantages for the treatment of type 1 diabetes.
References
American Diabetes Association. Dual-Hormone, Artificial Pancreas with Insulin and Pramlintide Significantly Improves Glucose Levels, Compared to Insulin-Only Artificial Pancreas. American Diabetes Association (2018). http://www.diabetes.org/newsroom/press-releases/2018/dual-hormone-artificial-pancreas-insulin-pramlintide-improves-glucose.html
Haidar, A et al. Insulin-plus-Pramlintide Artificial Pancreas in Type 1 Diabetes—Randomized Controlled Trial. Diabetes (2018). https://doi.org/10.2337/db18-210-OR