CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (CBS19 NEWS) -- Researchers have looked at three clinical trials involving a device developed at the University of Virginia and found benefits for patients with Type 1 diabetes.

The artificial pancreas, which was developed at the UVA Center for Diabetes Technology, works to improve blood sugar control for people with the condition.

According to a release, this combined analysis found it helped people between the ages of two and 72 by keeping them in their target sugar range for 2.8 more hours a day compared to people using standard blood sugar control methods.

The Control-IQ system automatically monitors and regulates blood glucose levels. It has an insulin pump that adjusts the insulin dose as needed based on the patient’s glucose-monitoring information.

The analysis looked at nearly 370 patients participating in trials at eight sites across the country, including at UVA Health.

Of these patients, 256 were using the artificial pancreas system while the rest were put in control groups using standard methods.

The release says those using the artificial pancreas got benefits at any time of day, though there were greater improvements at night.

Patients using the device also saw their average blood sugar levels, or A1c levels, drop from 7.5 percent to seven percent, compared to a decrease of just 0.1 percent for patients in the control groups.

“All subgroups in these studies, regardless of age, ethnicity, education or previous pump experience, benefitted from Control-IQ technology,” said Boris Kovatchev, PhD, director of the UVA Center for Diabetes Technology. “It is clear from these results, which are consistent with real-life data from thousands of current Control-IQ technology users, that this technology should be strongly considered as an option for anyone living with type 1 diabetes.”

These findings have been published in the journal Diabetes Technology and Therapeutics.