Artificial Pancreas
September 9, 2008 | Terry Sharrer
Roman Hovorka, head of the Diabetes Modeling Group at Cambridge University is within striking distance of creating a commercially available artificial pancreas. The device consists of two parts: a continuous glucose monitor that is implanted beneath the skin with wireless transmission for data downloads, and a pump that metes out insulin through a subcutaneous needle every 15 minutes, according to an algorithm that connects the two pieces. Yale pediatric endocrinologist William Tamborlane, who pioneered insulin pump therapy in the 1970’s, thinks this is headed toward an ultimate solution for type 1 diabetics. MORE