For millions of diabetes sufferers, life is a constant battle to keep their blood sugar balanced, which typically means they have to test their glucose levels and take insulin throughout the day. A new generation of “artificial pancreas” devices may make tedious diabetes micromanagement obsolete. In healthy people, the pancreas naturally produces insulin, which converts sugars and starches into energy. People with type 1 diabetes, however, do not produce any insulin of their own, and those with type 2 produce too little. All type 1 and many type 2 diabetics have to dose themselves with insulin to keep their bodies fueled—and doing so properly requires constant monitoring of blood sugar because appropriate dosages depend on factors such as how much patients eat or exercise. Stuart Weinzimer, an endocrinologist at Yale University, has devised an artificial pancreas that combines two existing technologies: a continuous glucose monitor, which uses an under-the-skin sensor to measure blood glucose levels every few minutes, and an insulin pump, which dispenses insulin through a tube that is also implanted under the skin. The glucose sensor sends its data wirelessly to a pocket computer a little bigger than an iPhone that is loaded with software developed by Minneapolis-based Medtronic. The program scans the incoming data from the glucose monitor and directs the pump to dispense the correct amount of insulin.
To read the full, original article click on this link: Putting Diabetes on Autopilot: Scientific American
Author:Elizabeth Svoboda
