Hybrid Closed Loop

JDRF and Diabetes UK have jointly driven the development of the pioneering Hybrid Closed Loop (HCL) automated insulin technology, the most transformative treatment in type 1 diabetes since the discovery of insulin 100 years ago.

In type 1 diabetes, the pancreas stops making insulin. From 2006, JDRF and Diabetes UK worked systematically to develop HCL, which mimics the function of a healthy pancreas by creating a sophisticated algorithm to automatically dose and administer insulin, linking a continuous glucose monitor to an insulin pump.

The world-class medical research we have driven to develop HCL has provided the evidence for regulatory and NHS approval by proving the life-saving health benefits and NHS cost savings.

Our patient-led advocacy and campaigns have focused the attention of key decision makers, helping to secure the political will and funding to take this technology from research into the lives of people living with type 1 diabetes.

HCL helps stabilise blood glucose, helping prevent life-threatening high and low glucose levels which can be fatal.

Thanks to JDRF and Diabetes UK, the NHS is now prescribing HCL as an approved first line of treatment, saving and transforming the lives of people living with type 1 diabetes in the UK.