This week sugar was in the news again. The price of sugar reached a new high on Thursday due to weather conditions in Australia that could have an effect on the supply of sugar worldwide.
More relevant to us, news media sources reported on promising results in research studies on the artificial pancreas. This phase of research involved controlling the blood sugar of pregnant women with Type 1 diabetes. The results were mostly positive and you can read all about it here: http://articles.latimes.com/2011/feb/02/news/la-heb-artificial-pancreas-20110202
Some HI patients and parents wonder if any of this research will lead to a medical device that will be helpful to patients with HI. A device that automatically controls blood sugar levels for HI patients as well as those with diabetes would be “a dream come true.”
CHI will interview artificial pancreas researchers and HI researchers to learn more about the applicability of this research to the HI population. We’ll report back on our findings here.
In the meantime, an excellent chronology of research on the Artificial Pancreas Project and other milestones in the treatment of diabetes can be found on the Juvenile Diabetes Research Fund Website. Take a look: http://www.artificialpancreasproject.com/milestones/default.html
