J&J, foundation to start testing of artificial pancreas in insulin-dependent diabetics
By APWednesday, January 13, 2010
J&J, charity to start testing artificial pancreas
TRENTON, NJ. — An experimental artificial pancreas will soon be tested in diabetes patients, potentially sparing them from its most dangerous complications and frequent blood sugar checks and insulin injections.
The Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation says a commercial model might be on the market in four years.
The foundation’s Aaron Kowalski tells The Associated Press the artificial pancreas would prevent life-threatening seizures from blood sugar lows and eliminate having to calculate carbohydrate intake and insulin doses day and night.
He says the device potentially could help about 6 million diabetics in the U.S. alone who use insulin.
The research, just announced, is being done by a partnership with health care giant Johnson & Johnson.
