The research into the functioning and (cost) effectiveness of the bihormonal artificial pancreas in people who suffer from type 1 diabetes was already launched last year. announced† This research is coordinated by UMC Utrecht, with funding from the National Health Care Institute and ZonMw through the Subsidy Scheme for Promising Care.
The artificial pancreas of Inreda Diabetic is a ‘first of it’s kind’. This increases the self-reliance of diabetic patients. In this way, this invention contributes to the increasing automation and digitization of the healthcare sector in the Netherlands.
Type 1 diabetes patients often face serious complications, such as cardiovascular disease, kidney failure and blindness. This is mainly because it is difficult for them to keep blood sugar levels constant. A regular insulin pump can alleviate that concern somewhat, but hypos and hypers still occur.
Artificial pancreas of smartphone dimensions
The artificial pancreas that was developed in Twente ensures that the blood sugar and insulin values of patients with type 1 diabetes are regulated better and fully automatically. The device is not much bigger than a smartphone.
“In patients with type 1 diabetes, blood sugar levels are disrupted, because the body does not produce insulin, and as a result they often have to deal with hypers and hypos, where patients can lose consciousness. The artificial pancreas contains sensors and continuously measures the blood glucose level and adjusts this with two necessary hormones: insulin and glucagon. This control takes place without the intervention of the patient,” says Robin Koops, the inventor of the artificial pancreas.
Extensive research in the Netherlands
This year, 240 diabetes patients in more than 10 hospitals throughout the Netherlands will participate in the study led by UMC Utrecht. 120 patients will receive treatment with the artificial pancreas and 120 patients will continue to follow their current treatment as a control group. Finally, the results of the groups are compared.
Koops is optimistic about the outcome of the new study. “Insurers will see that the treatment goals of the patients are achieved much better with our device. This reduces the risk of complications and the costs for the insurer. The artificial pancreas may be more expensive than the regular insulin pump, but something that works well costs less money in the long run,” says the inventor.
Available in 2024
After the research has been completed, a few things still need to be done before the artificial pancreas can be produced and used on a large scale. Particularly in terms of user-friendliness and dimensions. The size could be a lot smaller, for example. Although we have come a long way in that regard. But we can still adjust the pump and the reservoirs. We can also make gains in ease of use, for example with the operation of the buttons. So we’re still looking at this,” says Koops.
Another challenge lies in customer service and production scaling. Thousands of patients have already shown interest by registering for an artificial pancreas at Inreda Diabetic. Therefore, if the research goes well and the other challenges are addressed, the inventor expects that the device could be available as early as 2024. “I would really appreciate it if we could mean something to such a large group of people,” Koops concludes.
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