A bioartificial pancreas
To produce insulin directly in the body.
“In the form of a small pocket of semi-permeable membranes that contains insulin-secreting cells obtained in the laboratory, this system is intended to be implanted in the abdomen. Objective: to produce insulin directly in the body of the patient, in response to the level of glucose in the blood “, explains Dr Richard Bouaoun, from the start-up Defymed, which is developing the MailPan bioartificial pancreas. “The validity and safety of our system have been shown in animals”, specifies the doctor. It remains to improve it and then test it in humans, which should require another 6 years minimum. At least three more bioartificial pancreas projects are underway in the world.
Completely non-invasive sensors
“Several teams are trying to develop, in the greatest secrecy, other techniques of blood sugar measurement not requiring an injection “reports Professor Pierre-Yves Benhamou, head of the endocrinology dibetology and nutrition department at the Grenoble University Hospital. Thus, the computer giant Apple was working on sensors capable of reading the blood sugar level through the skin and can be integrated into the Apple watch connected watch. For their part, researchers from Oregon State University (United States) work on lenses intended to assess the glucose level directly in the patient’s tears.
New antidiabetics
New formulation of metformin, for personalized prescriptions; new drug combinations; oral GLP-1 analogues – and no longer injectable – or to be injected only once a month, for more comfort … Several new treatments are being tested on animals or humans. If the results are confirmed, they could hit the market in the years to come.
An artificial pancreas
Intended to “replace” the diseased pancreas, this device must automatically “read” the glycemia and deliver non-stop the appropriate dose of insulin, without the intervention of the patient. “Four major projects artificial pancreas are being studied around the world “, indicates Professor Éric Renard, from the Montpellier University Hospital. Among them, that of the French start-up Diabeloop, which obtained a CE marking last November.” Our device includes a sensor with place on the abdomen, a “patch” insulin pump on the arm, and a personalized “smartphone” which continuously calculates the required insulin dose and controls the pump “, explains Dr Guillaume Charpentier. Tested in 2017, this system could be authorized this year in France.
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