|
The Bionic Pancreas is a medical device that combines insulin delivery with glucose monitoring. The device is the first and only of its kind to also integrate glucagon delivery. A normal, healthy pancreas regulates blood glucose levels by arranging the secretion of insulin and glucagon, which raises blood glucose. These hormones work in tandem raising and lowering blood glucose when appropriate. The Bionic Pancreas is used by people with Type 1 diabetes to control blood glucose and to deliver insulin. It was developed by Edward Damiano and Firas El-Khatib of Boston University/Massachusetts General Hospital and is awaiting FDA approval. Damiano and El-Khatib first began testing the Bionic Pancreas on pigs in 2005. Since then, they have completed several clinical trials on adult and pediatric participants. The goal of the project is to get the device approved for market distribution by 2017. According to Art Jahnke, Damiano was motivated to build the Bionic Pancreas before his son left home for college because he feared that his son’s blood sugar would dive dramatically while he was asleep, a phenomenon known as “Dead-In-Bed-Syndrome.〔 The Bionic Pancreas combines the Dexcom G4 Platinum Glucose monitor with the Tandem T: Slim pump (Bionic Pancreas, 2015). An iPhone app allows the two devices to communicate with each other. Every five minutes, the Dexcom takes a blood glucose reading and checks in with the T: Slim pump, which then calculates how much insulin or glucagon should be administered.〔 The device has undergone several Food and Drug Administration (FDA) clinical trials and is likely to be approved in 2017. The creators of the Bionic Pancreas intend to lower its cost before it becomes commercially available since glucagon alone can cost up to $160 a day.〔 == Type 1 Diabetes == About five percent of Americans have Type 1 Diabetes.〔 Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease. It destroys healthy cells that help the pancreas make insulin. If a person has Type 1 diabetes, their immune system attacks insulin-producing cells in their body, resulting in high blood glucose. High glucose levels will damage blood vessels and can lead to blindness, heart disease, stroke and kidney failure.〔 Very high blood sugar levels can result in nerve cell death and subsequent limb amputation. However, if too much insulin is injected, it could cause coma or death. The purpose of the Bionic Pancreas is to prevent dangerous highs and lows. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Bionic Pancreas」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
|