Treatment research

Hybrid closed loop technology

Technologies to deliver insulin automatically when it is needed

Technologies to treat type 1 diabetes have already come a long way. We now have pumps that can deliver insulin automatically, and sensors that can give real-time measurements of blood glucose levels.

Insulin pumps and continuous glucose monitors reduce some of the mental burden of living with type 1 but still require input from the wearer. Now, new hybrid closed loop technology, which Breakthrough T1D UK supporters have helped fund, has been developed to reduce this burden even further.

Hybrid closed loop systems link a continuous glucose monitor with an insulin pump via a smartphone app. The sophisticated system allows the insulin pump to automatically deliver the right dose of insulin at the right time based on readings from the glucose sensor.

Find out more about our hybrid closed loop technology research.

Complications of type 1 diabetes

New ways to prevent, detect and treat the complications that living with type 1 can bring

Type 1 diabetes can lead to long term damage to the eyes, kidneys, nerves, and heart, which we refer to as the complications of type 1. These complications are often associated with unstable blood glucose levels, so it’s important to try and keep your blood glucose levels in range as best you can.

Our complications research aims to help people with type 1 and their healthcare professionals detect complications as soon as they start to develop. Once identified, we want complications to be treated quickly and efficiently with treatments developed specifically to work for people with diabetes.

The ultimate goal for complications research is to find out who is at most risk of developing certain complications and protect these people from ever getting complications from their type 1.

Find out more about our complications research.

Novel insulins

The word novel simply means new – novel insulins are the next generation of insulins being developed

Fast-acting insulins

The types of insulin people with type 1 use are much slower than the insulin their bodies used to be able to make. Researchers are developing insulins which can work faster and faster. We need faster-acting insulins so that people with type 1 don’t have to inject insulin a long time before they eat.

A fully closed loop artificial pancreas system would need little or no input at all from the person using it. Without ultra-rapid insulins, we can’t make fully closed loops because the insulin inside the insulin pumps doesn’t work fast enough. This means the wearer must currently warn their technology that they are about to eat or exercise, to give their insulin pump enough time to adjust.

Glucose-responsive ‘smart’ insulins

Another group of novel insulins are known as ‘smart’ insulins because they can respond to varying levels of glucose in the blood. This research is at an earlier stage than fast-acting insulins, but the idea is that the smart insulin remains in the body and only works in response to rising glucose levels. By responding automatically to the amount of glucose in the blood of someone with type 1, a smart insulin would mimic the function of insulin- releasing beta cells.

Learn more about novel insulins and our research into them.