JHU research leads to diabetes treating implant
Although a number of unique diabetes treatments are already in the works, researchers at Johns Hopkins University are giving it a shot of their own with a newfangled intravascular implant. A team of undergrads have collaborated with doctors and biomedical engineers to develop a "specialized implant for a potential treatment of type I diabetes," which has been created for implantation inside the portal vein in order to dole out insulin when needed. The pouch would ideally be "impregnated with insulin-producing pancreatic beta cells," but researchers have insinuated that this same system could possibly be used to treat other ailments such as liver disease. Notably, users could actually have the pouch removed, refilled, and reinserted if additional treatment is needed, and while no firm timeframe has been settled on for release, a provisional patent has already been applied for and "animal testing" is set to start this summer.
[Via MedGadget]
