Medicine Grand Rounds, Steven Russell “The Bionic Pancreas”

The bionic pancreas system proved better than either conventional or sensor-augmented insulin pump therapy at managing blood sugar levels in patients with type 1 diabetes living at home, with no restrictions, over 11 days. “For study participants living at home without limitations on their activity and diet, the bionic pancreas successfully reduced average blood glucose, while at the same time decreasing the risk of hypoglycemia,” says Steven Russell. “This system requires no information other than the patient’s body weight to start, so it will require much less time and effort by health care providers to initiate treatment. And since no carbohydrate counting is required, it significantly reduces the burden on patients associated with diabetes management.”

Since 2006 Steven Russell has collaborated on this project with Dr. Edward Damiano, a Biomedical Engineer at Boston University. The trials are scheduled to begin in the fourth quarter of 2018.