Amazing
This is very cool news for people and families dealing with diabetes. Scientists have invented a patch with more than one hundred tiny needles able to deliver insulin and also sense the fluctuation in glucose levels of the person wearing it.
The Telegraph reports:
The high-tech device, which sticks to the skin like a plaster, can detect even slight increases in blood sugar levels meaning that tiny doses of insulin can be given when needed.
The patch - a thin square no bigger than a postage stamp - is covered with more than one hundred tiny needles, each about the size of an eyelash.
University of North Carolina researchers published a study in the
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences using a mouse with type 1 diabetes, and showing very promising results—controlling high glucose levels for
up to nine hours.
“We have designed a patch for diabetes that works fast, is easy to use, and is made from nontoxic, biocompatible materials,” said co-senior author Zhen Gu, PhD, a professor in the Joint UNC/NC State Department of Biomedical Engineering. Gu also holds appointments in the UNC School of Medicine, the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy, and the UNC Diabetes Care Center. “The whole system can be personalized to account for a diabetic’s weight and sensitivity to insulin,” he added, “so we could make the smart patch even smarter.”
Besides the clear convenience of a simple device that can control your diabetes for you without constant pricks and pulls, this device could be a real grace for parents of children suffering from diabetes. Getting your young children to brush their teeth without
a situation is one thing, dealing with giving injections and taking blood pricks throughout the day is something I have a very hard time imagining. Those families show a courage that deserves a solution.