The artificial pancreas is a technology in development to help people with diabetes, primarily type 1, automatically and continuously control their blood glucose level by providing the substitute endocrine functionality of a healthy pancreas. The endocrine functionality of the pancreas is provided by islet cells which produce the hormones insulin and glucagon. Artificial pancreatic technology mimics the secretion of these hormones into the bloodstream in response to the body's changing blood glucose levels. Maintaining balanced blood sugar levels is crucial to the function of the brain, liver, and kidneys. Therefore, for type 1 patients, it is necessary that the levels be kept balanced when the body cannot produce insulin itself.

The artificial pancreas is a broad term for different bio-engineering strategies currently in development to achieve these requirements. Different bio-engineering approaches under consideration include: The medical equipment approach using an insulin pump under closed loop control using real-time feedback data from a continuous blood glucose monitor. The physiological approach the development of a treatment with engineered stem cells to be integrated into the body to provide functional blood glucose regulation. The original devices for use in type 1 diabetes were blood glucose meters. Continuous blood glucose monitors are one of the set of devices that make up an artificial pancreas device system, the other being an insulin pump, and a glucose meter to calibrate the device. Continuous glucose monitors are a more recent breakthrough and have begun to hit the markets for patient use after approval from the FDA. Both the traditional and the continuous monitor require manual insulin delivery or carbohydrate intake depending on the readings from the devices. While the traditional blood glucose meters require the user to prick their finger every few hours to obtain data, continuous monitors use sensors placed just under the skin on the arm or abdomen to deliver blood sugar level data to receivers or smart phone apps as often as every few minutes. The sensors can be used for up to fourteen days. A number of different continuous monitors are currently approved by the FDA.

The first continuous glucose monitor (CGM) was approved in December 2016. Developed by Dexcom, the G5 Mobile Continuous Monitoring System requires users to prick their fingers twice a day (as opposed to the typical average 8 times daily with the traditional meters) in order to calibrate the sensors. The sensors last up to seven days. The device uses Bluetooth technology to warn the user either through a handheld receiver or app on a smart phone if blood glucose levels reach below a certain point. The cost for this device excluding any co-insurance is an estimated $4,800 a year.

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