Parents of diabetic boy delighted with 'artificial pancreas' developed by Cambridge scientists

The parents of an eight-year-old diabetic boy say a new "artificial pancreas" is proving a life-changing innovation for their son.

Eddie Haigh from Cambridge has Type 1 diabetes and relies on insulin to regulate his blood sugar levels.

Previously it was up to Eddie's family to check his levels by taking up to 12 finger pricks a day and injecting insulin.

Eddie was one of 74 children to take part in a trial of the device developed by the Institute of Metabolic Science in Cambridge Credit: ITV News Anglia

Now a new system, described as an artificial pancreas, automatically reads his levels and administers insulin itself, as his father Ian told ITV News Anglia.

He and his wife used to have to wake up four times a night to check their son's glucose levels. The impact the device has now had on both Eddie and the family has been life-changing, said Mr Haigh.

"It's just such a relief, a huge relief for all of us - the wider family, grandparents, and everyone involved - the reassurance and the confidence we have with the technology and the app.

"It's given him his freedom in a way - he can go to play with his friends, stay at his grandparents, go out for a kid's birthday party and pretty much eat what he wants."

Eddie said the device had transformed his life.

"It's way easier because I can just run around everywhere I want to go. I just need to make sure my levels are fine. Every 20 minutes, 10 minutes, five minutes I can check it, or if if buzzes or makes a vibration I can check and see if I'm high or low."

The device linked to a mobile phone is now being used by hundreds of children Credit: ITV News Anglia

Created by the University of Cambridge, the device has proven hugely beneficial for very young children with Type 1 diabetes, said experts.

The new technology uses an app on a phone which, combined with a glucose monitor and insulin pump, acts as an artificial pancreas, automatically adjusting the amount of insulin it delivers based on predicted or real-time glucose levels.

The trial found children stayed in the target blood sugar range for longer.

The Duchess of Cornwall is shown an artificial pancreas connected to a phone by Prof Roman Hovorka during a visit to Addenbrooke’s Hospital Credit: Aaron Chown/PA

The app was developed by Professor Roman Hovorka from the Wellcome-Medical Research Council Institute of Metabolic Science at the University of Cambridge.

"This is fully automated, so parents do not need to continually monitor their child’s blood sugar levels," he said.

“It learns how much insulin the child needs per day and how this changes at different times of the day.

“It then uses this to adjust insulin levels to help achieve ideal blood sugar levels. Other than at mealtimes, it is fully automated, so parents do not need to continually monitor their child’s blood sugar levels.”

Dr Faye Riley, senior research communications officer at Diabetes UK, said: “This important study shows that the artificial pancreas could be a safe and effective way to help very young children manage their Type 1 diabetes, and provides further evidence of its potential to transform how the condition is managed.”