The wireless system for diabetes management developed by Cellnovo can significantly reduce life-threatening events of hypoglycemia in patients with type 1 diabetes.
A clinical study that followed type 1 diabetes patients for a year has concluded that a new mobile system for diabetes management could reduce events of hypoglycemia by 29% in adults — from 3.4 times per week on average to 2.4. In adolescents, the effect was even bigger, with a reduction of 39% — from 3.8 to 2.3 hypoglycemic events per week.
The Cellnovo Diabetes Management System used in the clinical trial is comprised of a blood glucose meter, an insulin pump and a mobile touchscreen used to monitor and control sugar levels wirelessly in real time. In addition to reducing hypoglycemia, the trial revealed that the system also led to a significant improvement in the levels of glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) — a protein in the blood whose levels go up when blood sugar levels have been high in the past three months.
People diagnosed with type 1 diabetes have to inject themselves with insulin for life in order to keep their blood glucose levels under control. However, determining the right amount to inject each time is complicated. Too much insulin can cause sugar levels to decrease below a healthy range. Known as hypoglycemia, this effect can be deadly if blood sugar drops too low.
Blood sugar control is often especially tricky for the younger ones, who, as the study indicates, could be the ones most benefitted by an automated diabetes management system. Cellnovo has the advantage of letting parents view the measurements in real time. These records can then be used by healthcare professionals to provide better recommendations for the patient.
The automation of diabetes care seems to be one of the most promising ways of minimizing the effects of the disease while we wait for a cure. In collaboration with the Diabeloop consortium in France, Imperial College London and the Horizon2020 program, Cellnovo is already working in the development of a fully automatized system, called an artificial pancreas, that can predict insulin requirements better than ourselves. Best of luck to them.
Images via Amazon; Cellnovo