‘Bionic Pancreas’ For Diabetics Developed At MGH, BU Makes Progress

BOSTON (CBS/AP) – Last fall, WBZ introduced you to the “bionic pancreas”, and now new research published in the New England Journal of Medicine shows it can do what it was designed to do. Ed Damiano is an Assistant Professor of Biomedical Engineering at Boston University. He has spent years worrying about his 15-year-old son, David, who has Type 1 Diabetes, and sometimes develops low blood sugar at night, which can be deadly. “He sleeps through any particular disturbance you can muster, including low blood sugar,” says Damiano. So he and a colleague developed the “bionic pancreas”, which uses a sensor, an iPhone app, and a pump to continuously monitor blood sugar levels and deliver one of two drugs…insulin, which lowers blood sugar, or glucagon which raises it. Damiano says the pump works 24/7. “This device is a relentless device. It doesn’t take a vacation. It doesn’t go to sleep at night.” This latest study out of Mass. General Hospital and Boston University looked at 52 adults and teenagers and found that even when patients didn’t have to restrict their carbs or sugar intake, they maintained good glucose control. Dr. Steven Russell is a diabetes expert at Mass. General and is collaborating with Damiano on this project. He says the bionic pancreas not only kept blood sugar levels from rising too high, but also from falling too low. “It lowered the blood glucose in all of the subjects to the ...
Source: WBZ-TV - Breaking News, Weather and Sports for Boston, Worcester and New Hampshire - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Tags: Health Local News Seen On WBZ-TV Watch Listen bionic pancreas Boston University CBS Boston Diabetes Dr. Mallika Marshall Massachusetts General Hospital New England Journal Of Medicine Source Type: news