End of Prickly Needles for Diabetics? Artificial Pancreas Set to Be Available as Early as Next Year

Diabetes is caused by a lack of insulin, resulting in an inability to properly break down sugars in the body and turn them into glucose or energy. The pancreas is the main organ responsible in producing insulin, but diabetes can inhibit or damage them. Luckily, science has now found a way to produce artificial pancreas in order to help those who are suffering from the life-threatening illness, diabetes.

What's so great about this scientific breakthrough is that it means soon enough people with Type 1 diabetes can forego their insulin injections in exchange for this artificial organ. And the best part, according to The Daily Mail, is that artificial pancreas could be available within the next year if all goes according to plan. These faux organs are so technologically advance that they include a sensor, which can detect a person's blood glucose levels and allow insulin to flow through accordingly.

As per reports from the Sydney Morning Herald, the devices that are currently available on the market can either monitor blood glucose levels or pump insulin to the body after a reading. These artificial organs can "close the loop" between the two types of devices and do both to an amazingly great effectiveness. This is a much welcome change to the pricey and complicated gizmos available in today's market used to help diabetics in the maintenance of their otherwise risky condition.

We have come such a long way from botched human-to-human transplants and the short-lived uses of animal organs in human bodies. Thanks to the team from Cambridge University that developed the artificial pancreas, there will now be far less casualties resulting from the failure of upkeep of medication for diabetes. Subjects who underwent clinical testing are said to be happy with the product and how it has given them time off from the stressful maintenance of their condition.