A Christchurch paediatrician is leading a groundbreaking research project that could change the lives of thousands of type 1 Diabetes sufferers in New Zealand.
Paediatrician Martin de Bock is looking into making insulin pumps accessible to New Zealanders, taking out much of the arduous day-to-day management of the disease.
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Dr de Bock has received over a million dollars in funding from the Health Research Council to look into the development of an insulin pump.
It would be strapped permanently to the body, inserted under the skin, checking glucose levels and administering exactly the right amount of insulin as and when required.
"This is an innovation that's been developed by smart people with type 1 diabetes who've worked out a way to build these algorithms that can automate the insulin delivery," says de Bock.
The device would take the pressure off parents like Gemma Greenshields, who deal with the disease on a daily basis. Her two children, Lillian, 7, and Marlow, 4, are among the 1000 children nationwide with type 1 diabetes.
"It's pretty full on, 24 hours a day, seven days a week," Greenshields told Newshub.
There is no cure for type 1 diabetes and failing to manage it can lead to disability or even death.
"It's a condition that doesn't sleep, so we are up and down in the night as well - we could be up three or four times a night, checking blood glucose levels," says Greenshields.
"Especially overnight when you're worried about what your child's blood sugar is doing when you're asleep - that will take all that pressure away," says de Bock.
He says the pump is effective and safe. They hope they can lobby the Government for funding at the end of the three-year study.
"That's where the real hard work starts," he says.
"It would just be lovely to have it here and to have it accessible for everyone," Greenshields told Newshub.
In the meantime, it's a daily struggle the family hope will one day change.
Newshub.
