The miniaturization that has been achieved in the wearable world is resulting in some medical projects focused on ending some problems derived from diseases such as diabetes.Only in Spain, and according to the Spanish Diabetes Federation, there are more than 5 million people with this pathology in which technology has focused a lot in recent years.
An important number of them are related to the development of implants (whether internal or external) capable of providing the dose of fair insulin at the right time.One of the last to appear comes directly from a team of researchers and bioengineers from the Rice University, in the Texana city of Houston (United States).
There, it started 3 years ago a project that has resulted in a manufactured device using 3D printers and intelligent biomaterials that promises to become a turning point for diabetics.
Implant against diabetes
The project consists of two teams of scientists led by Omid Veiseh and Jordan Miller who have worked in the field of 3D printing and that of biomaterials.The first has been developing these types of materials for more than a decade in order to protect implants from the immune system, a branch that will be key to the device they just presented.
For its part, Miller has been investigating techniques for printing 3D fabrics that include vasculature or nets of blood vessels for more than 15 years.The conjunction of the work of both equipment has resulted in a device that "will use Beta cells of insulin from human stem cells", as a more natural method and away from other implants made of plastic.
The objective of both teams is that this small device is able to detect and regulate blood glucose levels by providing the "correct amount of insulin", as indicated by Rice University in a statement.
"If we really want to synthesize what a pancreas normally does, we need vasculature," said Veiseh."And that is the purpose of this subsidy with JDRF [a non -profit organization that drives research related to type 1 diabetes]. The pancreas naturally has all those blood vessels and the cells are organized in particular in it. Jordan andWe want to print [in 3D] with the same orientation that exists in nature, "he continued.
That is, create an implant that does the function of the pancreas and that looks like as much as possible.As indicated, they have focused on demonstrating that their implants can properly regulate blood glucose levels of diabetic mice for 6 months.To achieve this, they will need to give their beta cells designed the ability to respond to rapid changes in blood sugar levels.
"We must get the implanted cells to be very close to the bloodstream so that the beta can detect and respond quickly," Miller said.And will be located less than 100 microns of a blood vessel.
Beta cells will be located within the 3D -printed biomaterial structure and will have autonomous behavior.They themselves will detect the ups and downs of the glucose level and Iran administering insulin to be as stable as possible.They will also do it surrounded by a hydrogel that prevents the receptor's immuture system from attacking the implant.
Hydrogel based material has pores wide enough to prevent interior cells from being attacked by the immune system, but large enough to allow the passage of nutrients and insulin.
No punctures
Another of the recent diabetes -related projects has to do with a sensor that avoids punctures to measureglucoseInstead of the pecks in the fingers, the sensor developed by the University of Newcastle (Australia) is capable of detecting the level of glucose in saliva.
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