Dubai: Driven by the high prevalence of the disease, advances in diabetes management are gathering pace, with new technology to automate the process of regulating a patient’s glucose under development, said a senior researcher during the recent three-day post-graduate course in clinical diabetes.

Attended by more than 150 doctors from across the GCC working in the diabetes field, the event stressed the need for customised medical education and training programmes.

The project was jointly organised by the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD), Gulf Group for the Study of Diabetes (GGSD) and Lilly Diabetes.

Speaking to Gulf News, speaker and visiting researcher Dr Leszek Czupryniak said that the increased prevalence of diabetes is the driving force for new treatments.

Dr Czupryniak, who has carried out clinical studies on the treatment of type 2 diabetes and published more than 82 papers, explained that the main achievement in the last decade is a better understanding of Type 2 diabetes.

Customised treatment

“We no longer have one approach for all cases. A person who has just been diagnosed [with Type 2] is treated differently from someone who has been diabetic with complications,” he said.

In terms of advances, he said rapid progress has taken place in the past three years. “We are looking at an artificial pancreas blood glucose control system that can take frequent measurements of blood glucose and release the needed amount of insulin based on the recording. This will not only automate the process of regulating a patient’s glucose but also prevent him or her from thinking about the disease all the time.”

He added: “There are several other technologies that could be a reality in the next three to four years.”

Dr Abdul Razzaq Ali Al Madani, president of the Emirates Diabetes Society, CEO of Dubai Hospital and president of the GGSD, told Gulf News that continued education for doctors and research is integral. “It should not only address management of the disease but also include assessment of complications.”