JDRF is working on a closed-loop artificial pancreas that could revolutionize diabetes management for patients with type 1 diabetes. The artificial pancreas would mimic the function of its human counterpart by monitoring glucose levels and, in response, delivering an appropriate amount of insulin.

Update April 14, 2010 --   In a clinical trial that studied the benefits of a unique artificial pancreas system utilizing two hormones to control blood sugar, patients were able to achieve near-normal sugar levels for more than 24 hours without hypoglycemia, or low blood sugar.  The results from the study, co-funded by the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, are reported today in the journal Science Translational Medicine.
Researchers from Boston University and Massachusetts General Hospital tested the safety and efficacy of a novel closed-loop system that incorporated the use of glucagon, in addition to insulin. Glucagon is a naturally occurring hormone that raises blood sugars in response to hypoglycemia and is impaired in people with type 1 diabetes. The addition of glucagon to the closed-loop system was designed to more closely mimic the physiology of a person without diabetes. Currently, glucagon is not used as a routine part of type 1 diabetes therapy, but is used in large doses to treat people in low blood sugar emergencies.