Artificial pancreas to be unveiled for first time

A ground-breaking device created to provide the right amount of insulin when needed is to go on display in the UK for the first time, it has been announced.

The artificial pancreas will be showcased at the prestigious Science Museum in London as part of the Who Am I? exhibition for the next three months.

The device is made up of an insulin pump, a continuous glucose monitor and an algorithm. Experts believe that once the artificial pancreas becomes widely available it could radically improve the quality of life for people with type 1 diabetes.

Experts believe the system could help many people achieve their targets, which will reduce their risk of long-term complications and protect them against hypoglycaemia.

The technology has been developed by a team from the University of Cambridge supported by the type 1 charity JDRF.

JDRF’s Vice President of Treatment Therapies, Dr Aaron Kowalski said: “The artificial pancreas is what I call a bridge to a cure.

“But we think the improvement in glucose control that an artificial pancreas could offer could make a biological cure for type 1 diabetes more likely.’

The artificial pancreas is being displayed as something that will change the lives of many people in the near-future.