A researcher from America has developed a micro capsule coated with silicon, which could save the diabetics from the usual insulin injection.This microchip works by absorbing nutrients from the body and stimulates the insulin- producing cells.Some diabetics have to inject insulin more than onece a day to maintain their blood sugar levels.
The device is being developed by Tejal Desai of the University of Illinois at Chicago Ms Desai, who presented her findings to a meeting of the American Vacuum Society in San Francisco, said: "The capsule essentially acts as a bioreactor - it contains insulin-secreting cells that borrow nutrients from the body to keep producing insulin indefinitely. "As long as the body produces glucose, the cells will respond with insulin."There are two types of diabetes. Type 1 is known as insulin-dependent diabetes. It destroys the cells in the pancreas that produce the hormone insulin, needed to control blood sugar levels. It usually develops early in life, and sufferers may need at least one insulin injection every day.
Type 2, or non-insulin dependent diabetes is the most common form of the disease, and usually affects people later in life. Patients with the condition do not make enough insulin, or cannot use it properly, which means they cannot move blood sugar into the cells. Sugar then builds up in the bloodstream and causes health problems. Type 2 diabetes can be controlled by regular exercise and diet control, though some also need extra insulin. However Desai sad that it will need a lot more testing before diabetic patients can use it.
