Bionic Pancreas
From: IEEE Spectrum - 01/2011
By: Sandra Upson

Artificial organ could improve control over diabetes

Researchers at Imperial College London have designed an insulin pump for
diabetes patients that simulates the body’s alpha and beta cells to deliver
insulin when blood glucose is high and a hormone called glucagon when glucose
levels are low.

The device consists of an electrochemical glucose sensor that penetrates the
skin, the microchip, and two small pumps worn on the body, one for each
hormone. Every 5 minutes, the sensor detects the person's glucose level. If
the sensor reports a high level of glucose, the silicon beta cell generates a
signal that drives a motor. The motor pushes a syringe, dispensing insulin
into the tissue beneath the skin until the glucose reading at the sensor
drops and the beta cell goes silent. If the sensor reports a low glucose
value, the microchip's simulated alpha cell activates the glucagon pump
instead. 

Read the entire article at:
http://spectrum.ieee.org/biomedical/devices/bionic-pancreas

Links:
Devices for Diabetics Expand Inward and Outward
http://spectrum.ieee.org/tech-talk/semiconductors/devices/devices-for-diabetics-expand-inward-and-outward

Pantelis Georgiou
http://www3.imperial.ac.uk/people/pantelis

The Bionic Pancreas for Type I Diabetics
http://www3.imperial.ac.uk/bioinspiredtechnology/research/bionicpancreas

Bio-inspired Artificial Pancreas Video
http://www2.imperial.ac.uk/imedia/videos/view/440/bio-inspired-silicon-pancreas/

Artificial Pancreas Could Help Control Type 1 Diabetes
http://www.aaas.org/news/releases/2010/0414sp_pancreas.shtml