In order to propose an alternative therapy in the treatment of type 1 diabetes mellitus, which according to data from the National Institute of Statistics and Geography (INEGI) is found as the second cause of death in the country, students of the National Autonomous University ofMexico (UNAM) work on the development of a device called Proinsulitron.
It is a subcutaneous application apparatus with two compartments, the first contains a modified bacteria (Escherichia coli) that performs a monitoring of the glucose levels of the person's body in real time;And the second supplies insulin offering a personalized treatment in the event that the bearer requires, mentions Ilia Xrysw Hernández Mejía, collide of the project.
Proinsulitron is size of two centimeters and is made with biocompatible materials with the human body so that they do not cause immune response in the patient and be rejected.The device combines aspects of mechanical engineering and biotechnology, managing to guarantee the proper insulin dose supply for those who need to use it.
Recently this project has been the winner of the Silver Medal in the Health category in the Student Contest of Synthetic Biology organized by the International Genetically Engineered Machine (IGEM) Foundation.
Proinsulitron is the joint work of university students from various careers such as biomedicine, medicine, genomic sciences, engineering and chemicalopharmacobiology.