Testing an Artificial Pancreas

A team of scientists from the University of Virginia (UVA) School of Medicine and the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences developed a project to turn an ordinary smartphone into an artificial pancreas that has since received a $3.4 million grant from the National Institutes of Health. Now, researchers are beginning one of the largest-ever long-term clinical trials of a system designed to help regulate blood sugar levels of individuals with type 1 diabetes mellitus. The “artificial pancreas” system will be tested in 240 patients at nine sites in the US and Europe. Two six-month trials are beginning in early 2016, in collaboration with a half dozen other institutional partners.