The artificial pancreas could free diabetics from their daily jabs

A quarter of a million diabetics could be freed from the trauma of daily insulin injections thanks to an artificial pancreas.

Developed by Cambridge University researchers, the device uses a pager-sized pump and a high-tech sensor to top up levels of insulin, a hormone produced by the pancreas which is vital for the conversion of sugar into energy.

Britain's 250,000 sufferers of type 1 diabetes are unable to produce any insulin and rely on a series of daily injections to keep their blood sugar levels under control.

An artificial pancreas could consign to history both the jabs and the finger-prick tests used to measure glucose levels.

It could also reduce the risk of heart attacks, strokes, kidney damage and blindness, all of which are made more likely by big fluctuations in glucose levels.

Karen Addington, of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, the charity funding the trial, said: "Research shows blood glucose control is the most important predictor of the devastating complications of diabetes.

"Achieving good blood glucose control dramatically lowers the risk of serious complications, by as much as 75 per cent for some problems.

"Yet recent research shows that even the best-controlled patients with diabetes are rarely within the normal blood sugar range.

"Once perfected and made available, the artificial pancreas will bring a huge sense of relief to children with type 1 diabetes for whom multiple daily insulin injections and finger prick blood tests are such a tremendous burden."

Lead researcher Dr Roman Hovorka said: "The artificial pancreas will enable a child with diabetes to achieve better glucose levels by automatically providing the right amount of insulin at the right time, just as a real pancreas does in people without the condition."

The device, which is to be tested on children with diabetes from January and is several years from general use, will also offer hope to adults who have relied on insulin injections since childhood.

Among the 20,000 British children who could benefit from the technology is seven-year- old Cara Dartnell, who was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes last year.

Cara has a severe fear of needles, which caused her to faint during her first blood test to diagnose the condition. But she was advised to inject herself with insulin at least five times a day, as well as carry out frequent needle prick finger tests to check glucose levels.

Her mother Ashley, a 47-year-old writer from London, said: "The artificial pancreas has the potential to make a dramatic improvement in Cara's quality of life."