A study has found that a new technology that allows a artificial pancreas system to adapt to users’ changing bodies – and lets users test changes to how the system operates – improves the control of Type 1 diabetes,
The Adaptive Biobehavioral Control (ABC) technology – developed by the University of Virginia -optimizes the automated insulin delivery system in the artificial pancreas every two weeks while giving users access to a “digital twin” computer simulation to test different approaches to managing their blood sugar.
The six-month study found the participants using the ABC technology boosted time spent in a safe blood-sugar range from 72% to 77% and reduced their hemoglobin A1c (average blood-sugar level) from 6.8% to 6.6%.
While automated insulin delivery systems like the artificial pancreas have succeeded at helping users better control their Type 1 diabetes, the ABC technology is designed to address a pair of unresolved challenges. The first is improving blood-sugar control during the day, when more events occur – such as meals and exercise – that cause blood-sugar fluctuations. Secondly, most users see an initial improvement in the time spent in a safe blood-sugar range but quickly reach a plateau of 70% to 75% of time in range, which the researchers theorize stems from users not adapting well to how the system performs.
The ABC technology is designed to address those challenges in two ways by using “digital twins,” a computer simulation that matches users’ metabolic system. In addition to optimizing the artificial pancreas based on changing physiology and behavior, it also provides users with an interactive computer simulation where they can test changes to the parameters of how their artificial pancreas system performs, such as adjusting the continuous level of insulin released by their insulin pump overnight.
