Researchers from the University of Cambridge have developed an artificial pancreas for those with both type 2 diabetes and who are in need of a kidney dialysis.

According to an article on medicalxpress.com, diabetes is the cause of just under a third of kidney failure cases, which in turn leads to an increased risk of both increasingly high and low levels of blood sugar produced.

The device is worn externally and consists of three parts: an insulin pump, a glucose sensor and a computer algorithm which calculates insulin doses.

It is operated by software in a patient’s smartphone where levels of insulin received can be managed. To measure blood sugar in the patient, the glucose monitor judges its levels with the results fed back to the app for it to make any alterations if necessary. 

Tests were performed on 26 patients that were in need of a kidney dialysis. When using the device, 87% said that they felt more at ease instead of being worried about their blood sugar levels.

“Not only did the artificial pancreas increase the amount of time patients spent within the target range for the blood sugar levels, but it also gave the users peace of mind. They were able to spend less time having to focus on managing their condition and worrying about the blood sugar levels, and more time getting on with their lives,” said Professor Roman Hovorka, a senior author of the study from the Wellcome Trust-MRC Institute of Metabolic Science at the University of Cambridge.