Kiwi research has shown the use of DIY automated insulin delivery could help patients with type 1 diabetes stay in their target glucose range for more hours of the day.

A study from the University of Otago, New Zealand, has put the original, patient-designed automated insulin delivery (AID) system, OpenAPS, to the test in a randomised controlled trial, finding it to be “safe and effective”.

OpenAPS, which uses a smartphone algorithm with a commercially available insulin pump and continuous glucose monitor to constantly adjust insulin delivery, was compared with sensor-augmented pump therapy as the control.

The lead investigator, Christchurch paediatric endocrinologist Dr Martin de Bock, noted that, despite a lack of regulatory approval, around 2500 patients worldwide used open-source AID systems.