iLet bionic pancreas improves blood glucose control

Use of the iLet bionic pancreas could improve blood sugar control compared to insulin injections or pumps, results from the initial human trial suggest. Set against usual care, it significantly increased the amount of time patients’ blood glucose was within the normal range without affecting the duration of hypoglycaemia. 

The third-generation iLet system calculates insulin doses based on patients’ weight, without the need for additional information such as meal times and carbohydrate content. It can deliver both insulin and glucagon, enabling it to address hypo- and hyperglycaemia. In this crossover study, the iLet was used to deliver insulin only. 

Twelve adults who usually managed their type 1 diabetes with multiple daily insulin injections and 22 who used insulin pumps were recruited and data gathered on their mean continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) glucose, time with blood glucose <3.0 mmol/L (<54 mg/dL) and time blood glucose was within the target range (3.9–10.0 mmol/L; 70–180 mg/dL). Patients were monitored remotely during 7 days of usual care with the Dexcom 5 or Eversense CGM system and 7 days of CGM treatment including the iLet. Time spent in the normal glycaemic range increased significantly from 61.5% to 70.1% with iLet. Researchers reported several iLet device issues during the study that, in addition to patient feedback, have led to changes in the design of the forth-generation iLet that is currently in development. These alterations will improve the safety and usability of these devices in future trials. There are plans to start pivotal US trials of this device next year. For more ADA news, view the following:

• FreeStyle Libre audit shows improved glycaemic control
• CGM during pregnancy a cost-effective CONCEPTT
• Behavioural intervention with CGM impacts psychological and clinical outcomes
• [Sponsored] The latest technology news from ADA

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