Cambridge Scientists Develop World First App to Aid Type 1 Diabetes Management

Scientists from the University of Cambridge have developed a smartphone app to significantly ease the burden of living with type 1 diabetes.

People with type 1 diabetes have to use regular finger-prick blood tests to keep a close eye on their blood glucose (sugar) levels. That’s because their pancreases produce little or no insulin, the hormone needed to process sugar in the blood. These individuals rely on manual insulin injections to help move sugar from the blood into other tissues, where it can be used for energy.

But for the more than 300,000 people in the UK living with type 1 diabetes, this routine could be about to change with the launch of the CamAPS FX app.

The culmination of 13 years of clinical research, the CamAPS FX app works with an insulin pump and a glucose monitor to automatically deliver insulin to diabetes patients via a complex algorithm. Described as a ‘world first’, the downloadable artificial pancreas app is the first of its kind to be licensed for use in pregnancy, or by young children aged one and above.

A screenshot of the CamAPS FX app (Image credit: University of Cambridge)

Speaking about the app, Professor Roman Hovorka, Professor of Metabolic Technology at the University of Cambridge and the leader of the team behind its development, said he hoped CamAPS FX would be available on the NHS in the future. It could play a key role in managing type 1 diabetes, especially at night when many patients experience potentially dangerous low blood glucose levels.

Currently, the CamAPS FX app is only available for Android phones via the Amazon Appstore.

The CamAPS FX app is a perfect example of how modern technology is revolutionising how we manage certain health conditions and improving people’s lives. Got a comment about this story? Tweet us @PolytecNews