Project lead, Dr Emma Wilmot
The introduction of insulin pumps that can be controlled electronically via a smart phone, together with accurate and reliable glucose self-monitoring sensors, has exposed a need to produce feed-back control of insulin which responds to blood sugar levels. In the absence of commercial options, people with Type 1 Diabetes and suitable technical expertise have devised their own ‘artificial pancreas’ systems. While discussion of the users’ experience is found on the internet and in published case reports there has been no systematic audit of the safety and effectiveness of OpenAPS. The Trust has agreed to fund a bursary for a research fellow for two years to provide the first large, objective, national observational dataset.
The award is for two year’s funding for a research fellow who is supported to submit a PhD thesis for the work. With other expenses, including IT support, the total value of the grant is £87,105.