Diabetes: There's an app for that

A pump, a monitor and a sophisticated computer program can become an artificial pancreas. No, this isn't the headline of a bad sci-fi movie or the title of your kid's science project, it's real. And to people with diabetes, it's nothing short of amazing.

The artificial pancreas is an external device, about the size of a cell phone, that people with insulin-dependent diabetes could use to control both high and low blood sugar around the clock.

It combines a continuous glucose monitor and an insulin pump with sophisticated computer software to provide just the right amount of insulin at just the right time. While the technology to create such a device exists, it is not yet in the hands of patients.

Ever since I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at 4 years old, I've basically become a human pancreas, constantly measuring and calculating every morsel of food that goes into my body so I know how much insulin to take. But I don't get it right all the time.

At best I'm making educated guesses, and the cost of my errors could be deadly. Blood sugar that is too high can cause kidney failure, blindness, nerve damage, amputations, heart attack and stroke. Blood sugar that is too low can lead to dizziness, shakiness, seizures, coma and, in the worst cases, death.

Living with diabetes is a daily struggle. It creates this cloud of fear and doubt. Thoughts of blood sugars and carbs are always on my mind. I'm constantly asking myself, "Am I OK?"

I always have to remember snacks and extra supplies to ensure that, in case of an incident, I'm covered because things can get scary quickly. I don't just worry about it now, I worry about my future. Diabetes never takes a break, so, neither can I or my family.

Then last October, I enrolled in a clinical trial testing artificial-pancreas technology at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville.

For two days, I was admitted into a hospital, where they tested the closed-loop artificial-pancreas system.

For two days, I had perfect control of my blood sugar levels. Two days of living with this technology provided me with a vision of what life could be like: life with far less fear of complications, both short- and long-term.

I can honestly say the closed-loop artificial-pancreas trial was the most amazing experience of my entire life and holds so much promise for people living with this disease.

But despite successful studies, which show that artificial-pancreas technologies improve blood sugar control, to date, patients still can't use them. The devices have only been tested in inpatient or hospital settings.

Recently, I was part of an event organized by the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, where 150 kids with type 1 diabetes descended on Capitol Hill to remind lawmakers why finding a cure for type 1 diabetes is important.

I was a witness in a hearing before the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Government Affairs, and I urged lawmakers to do all they can to help speed the delivery of new technologies, like the Artificial Pancreas Project, to people whose lives would dramatically improve.

In my testimony, I asked the FDA to allow testing of the artificial pancreas to begin in more real-world conditions, outside of the hospital. These outpatient studies are the next step to ensuring that an artificial pancreas is safe and effective, and that it becomes available in a timely manner.

Already, more than 300 members of Congress — including Virginia Sens. Mark Warner and Jim Webb — and organizations representing 6,000 clinical endocrinologists and 26,000 leading researchers and medical professionals have signed letters urging the FDA and Commissioner Margaret Hamburg to adopt guidelines to move the technology forward.

I hope they listen. The development of an artificial pancreas is within reach, I know — I've been a part of it.

So, on the day the artificial pancreas is finally approved and released, people with this disease can say, "Diabetes: There's an app for that."