Posted by Mark Nesbitt on November 02, 2001 at 08:12:38:
Just came across this, and it doesn't ring a bell. Any comments?
Capsule produces insulin inside the body
CHICAGO - A researcher in Chicago has developed a capsule that can be implanted into the body to produce a steady stream of insulin.
The centimetre-long capsule contains insulin-producing cells, rather than a fixed supply of insulin that could run out. The cells use nutrients and oxygen from the body to secrete insulin.
"As long as the body produces glucose, the cells will respond with insulin," said Tejal Desai, an assistant professor of bioengineering at the University of Illinois at Chicago, in a statement.
Normally, foreign objects in the blood stream would be attacked by the body's defence, the immune system. Antibodies would attack the cells and destroy them.
The capsule is protected against attacks from antibodies. Tiny pores in the capsule's silicon membrane are large enough to let nutrients in and insulin out, but small enough to keep the body's immune system from attacking the cells inside.
While Desai has had some success implanting the capsule in diabetic mice, the capsule hasn't been rigorously tested in animals and is a long way from being used in people.
Her work will be published in the November issue of IEEE Transactions in Biomedical Engineering.
Written by CBC News Online staff