Encounter: Journal Post 3

My cell phone is a major part of my life. I use it to communicate with people, to keep myself entertained, to keep in touch with the world, and for many other purposes. When I have nothing to do, you can often catch me surfing the web and doing other trivial things on it. Today, as I waited for my next class to start, I was doing just that. I was surfing the web, going through pages and pages of useless information. I caught myself on NY Daily News and came across a very interesting news article entitled "Breakthrough 'Artificial Pancreas' Helps Control Diabetic's Insulin Levels." After reading that, I thought to myself--as most Cell Bio students would--what a great topic for my blog.

Now the story isn't as remarkable as it sounds, but it's still pretty fascinating. The article spoke of an app that was developed for study which gives insulin users a piece of mind. The purpose of the app is to calculate the insulin that's needed for each dose through the use of a sensor. The user wears the sensor which helps calculate the glucose levels in the body. This information is sent to the smartphone which then relays through a bluetooth connection to a pump. The pump then administers the correct dose of insulin, adjusting it as needed throughout the day. Thanks to this medical breakthrough, the app is now being dubbed the "artificial pancreas."

The app was developed by a team who is researching ways to make insulin administration easier, paying particular attention to those affected by Type 1 Diabetes. Dr. Carol Levy, lead investigator, and her team conducted a five-night sleep study on ten patients. The blood sugar levels were studied over night, allowing the team to view when the levels were low and how the app reacted to this scenario. The app was very particular and responded to even the smallest shifts. Overall, they felt it was a successful study but continue to fine-tune the app.

The app is still a few years away from being available due to FDA approval but it looks very promising. While Type 1 diabetics are the focus of the group, the team hopes to make the app available for Type 2 diabetics as well.

This encounter relates to the class in very obvious ways. Diabetes is a disease very much affected by the way cells work together. It can be characterized as a metabolic disease that prevents insulin production or prevents the body from reacting to insulin appropriately.

This encounter brought to my attention that we are becoming much more advanced at a more rapid rate. It's great that people are trying to simplify the way we live, especially when it deals with something as important as diabetes. This medical breakthrough is something that intrigued me very much. As I stated earlier, my phone is practically an extension of myself. Many people today would agree with that statement themselves. Such an innovation is paving the way for more advancements in medicine and technology. 

Resources: 

"Breakthrough 'Artificial Pancreas' Helps Control Diabetic’s Insulin Levels" article