(Washington, DC) -- The day diabetes sufferers have dreamed of for decades may have finally arrived. Researchers have developed an implantable sensor that continually monitors blood sugar then transmits the information to a receiver without wires. The device was tested in a pig for more than a year without trouble. A research team at the University of California at San Diego calls the device a "milestone in diabetes treatment." The researchers say it also takes the field of diabetes a step closer to development of an "artificial pancreas" that could control the way the body handles blood sugar.
Scientists believe the device, that detects oxygen in the tissue where it's implanted to measure glucose, will be able to send information to cell phones. That would be especially helpful for parents of diabetic children who spend days and nights worrying whether their child is threatened by nocturnal hypoglycemia. Details of the research is reported in the journal "Science Translational Medicine." The researchers hope to begin human trials for the device in a few months.
