CamAPS FX

CamAPS FX is an artificial pancreas app which aims to help manage glucose levels in people with type 1 diabetes, aged one year and older, using a hybrid closed-loop approach.

The user has the option of easing off or boosting therapy as physiological demands require, such as during exercise. The app runs on a standard Android smartphone and feeds data to the cloud so that health care professionals and loved ones including parents can see their children’s levels at any time on their phones.

Developed by CamDiab at the University of Cambridge trials have shown a significant increase in glucose time in range and improved quality of life, as well as a reduction in time spent in hypoglycaemia and hyperglycaemia. A Health Innovation East commissioned health economic assessment also demonstrated a potential cost saving of £3.2m per year for healthcare in the UK. We are now supporting the roll out of this innovation across the NHS.

An evaluation from the Wellcome-MRC Institute of Metabolic Science at the University of Cambridge published in 2023 found that CamAPS FX doubled the amount of time patients were in the target range for glucose compared to standard treatment and halved the time spent experiencing high glucose levels.

The researchers recruited 26 patients from the Wolfson Diabetes and Endocrine Clinic at Addenbrooke’s Hospital, part of Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, and a local group of GP surgeries. Patients were randomly allocated to one of two groups – the first group would trial the artificial pancreas for eight weeks and then switch to the standard therapy of multiple daily insulin injections; the second group would take this control therapy first and then switch to the artificial pancreas after eight weeks.

The team used several measures to assess how effectively the artificial pancreas worked. The first was the proportion of time that patients spent with their glucose levels within a target range of between 3.9 and 10.0mmol/L. On average, patients using the artificial pancreas spent two-thirds (66%) of their time within the target range – double that while on the control (32%). A second measure was the proportion of time spent with glucose levels above 10.0mmol/L. Over time, high glucose levels raise the risk of potentially serious complications. Patients taking the control therapy spent two-thirds (67%) of their time with high glucose levels – this was halved to 33% when using the artificial pancreas.

Visit the CamDiab website now.