Automating the monitoring of blood glucose levels and correlating the data collected with a connected insulin pump paves the way for an artificial pancreas, one that is controlled by modern mobile technologies.

A research team at the University of Virginia School of Medicine, led by Boris P. Kovatchev, is looking to do just that, taking advantage of the $3.4 million grant from the National Institutes of Health.

The project will also rely on servers in the cloud that will be able to facilitate high quality data collection in conjunction with on-demand telemedicine services. Blood-sugar levels could also be communicated to a remote-monitoring site and link the user with assistance using telemedicine as needed.

The end goal is to create a system that removes the need for patients to prick their fingers to check glucose levels, with the system administering insulin intake without any interference from the user. Here’s a demo video to show how this can be done.

[Via: MedCityNews]