This Implantable Device From MIT Pumps Insulin Without Needles
While completely manageable, type 1 diabetes can be a pain—literally. Managing the condition often involves tedious processes like testing blood sugar and injecting insulin. Patients also need to be consistent and timely when administering doses, too. Otherwise, they might find themselves with dangerously low blood sugar.
That’s why MIT engineers have developed an implant that pumps insulin for patients when they need it. The device, described in a study published Monday in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, uses living pancreatic cells to deliver insulin.
In trials, the implant kept the blood sugar levels of diabetic mice stable for a month. The team now hopes to scale the device to humans to help treat those with type 1 diabetes—and they believe it could be used to treat other diseases as well.