Fully Implantable Artificial Pancreas Delivers Insulin as Needed

Health and Medicine





Photo credit:

The tablet interface for the adult artificial pancreas, in a pouch worn by the patient. UC Santa Barbara.

With type 1 diabetes, the body’s immune system attacks cells in the pancreas that produce the glucose-lowering hormone insulin. Without insulin to convert sugar into energy for cells, glucose levels build up in the bloodstream. For diabetes patients, this means constantly tracking blood sugar levels and taking daily doses of insulin. Researchers have been working on a fully implantable artificial pancreas that continuously measures a patient’s glucose level and delivers appropriate amounts of insulin as needed.