For the first time, tests of an artificial pancreas system developed by BU researchers have successfully maintained near-normal glucose levels in patients without causing hypoglycemia. The tests, conducted at Massachusetts General Hospital, were the first of an artificial pancreas using both insulin and the blood-sugar-raising hormone glucagon. Department of Biomedical Engineering Prof. Edward Damiano, who co-led the research team, says such a system could replace the need for type-1 diabetics to constantly check their blood sugar and make treatment decisions every few hours.
“It wouldn’t be a cure, but it has the potential to be the ultimate evolution of insulin therapy for type-1 diabetes.”
Contact Sue McGreevy at MGH, 617-724-2764, smcgreevey@partners.org; or Kira Jastive at BU, 617-358-1240, kjastive@bu.edu
