Device will help manage disease better, says doc

Hyderabad: The use of bio-artificial pancreas has been successfully tested, but does this pave the way for human trials? Yes, but the process will have to go through all three phases.

Explaining the implications of such an invention, Dr Shyam K., a senior endocrinologist, said, “In type 1 diabetes, artificial pancreas can help treat the patient better.

In 2019, a pharmaceutical company from the United States of America will launch an external device that will function as artificial pancreas.

There will be a chip inserted in patients’ abdomen or thigh that will monitor their glucose levels.

Accordingly, the insulin intake can be monitored. This will be a major breakthrough. How it will work outside the controlled atmosphere from human to human is the challenge.

The research for artificial pancreas has been going on relentlessly for decades and we have to see how it will materialise for final use.”

The recent breakthrough comes at a time when devices or implants that inserted in the body have found success.

The human trials for bio-artificial pancreas will take another 10 years and experts hope that till then they will acquire data from the external device, which will help to understand its functioning better.

Dr Ramesh Sharma, senior endocrinologist, explained, “The review of the artificial device in clinical trials has been encouraging. The body's immune system has not attacked the device. Hence, using the right kind of material that is presently being used in implants by being compatible with the body, will work positively. It will pave the way for better management of diabetes.”

Experts have said that for device users, the pancreas would continue to remain in the body as a non-functional organ, as its work will be transferred to either the external device or the internal bio-artificial implant.