An artificial pancreas to help patients with type 1 diabetes control their blood glucose levels better could be commercially available in a few years, researchers have suggested.

Dr Roman Hovorka from the University of Cambridge (UK) said a new clinical study funded by Diabetes UK showed that adults with type 1 diabetes could use the new Artificial Pancreas technology to improve control of glucose levels overnight without increasing their risk of hypoglycaemia.

The Artificial Pancreas technology comprises three elements: an insulin pump, a continuous glucose monitor (CGM) and a computer program. The aim is to develop a system that does the job of a healthy pancreas: to provide exactly the needed amount of insulin to the body at the correct time.

Insulin pump technologies in current use work on an 'open loop' basis: the patient uses blood glucose test results to decide how much insulin the pump should release. The insulin pump delivers insulin via a catheter inserted under the skin.

The CGM comprises an insulin sensor that is inserted just under the skin, connected to a wireless transmitter that sends blood glucose readings to a display device for the patient to read.

The Artificial Pancreas moves the technology to a 'closed loop' system: the computer program analyses the CGM readings and tells the insulin pump how much to dispense, without the intervention of the patient.

Hovorka and colleagues have demonstrated the feasibility and efficacy of overnight closed loop insulin delivery in adults with type 1 diabetes, compared with the conventional insulin pump - even when the patient's blood glucose control is disrupted by a large meal and by alcohol.