The bionic pancreas, the biggest invention in type 1 diabetes management ever. It has the possibility to make type 1 diabetes very easy to manage, by automating the process that diabetics used to have to go through. iLet (like the islet cells in the pancreas), the program that was created by BU professor, Ed Damiano, has now been turned into the company Beta Bionics. Beta Bionics just received $5 million from Eli Lilly, the pharmaceutical company that makes the insulin for the artificial pancreas. This has pushed Damiano and his colleagues closer and closer to making their bionic pancreas a reality. The Beta Bionics’ pancreas samples blood sugar levels in the body every five minutes and automatically adjusts for the blood sugar level in the blood. Unlike most other artificial pancreases that are being developed now, the Beta Bionics’ pancreas would not only release insulin, the hormone responsible for lowering blood sugar, but also glucagon, the hormone responsible for raising blood sugar. All of this activity would be monitored on a smartphone, so you could track what the pancreas is doing and to monitor your blood sugar levels.
Type 1 diabetes is also known as juvenile diabetes, therefore, it is diagnosed most often in children. Younger children with diabetes have to be constantly monitored, so they cannot always lead regular lives, and neither can their parents. This bionic pancreas, would allow parents to monitor their child’s blood sugar levels on a smart device, while the programming in the artificial pancreas did all the work. This would eliminate the need for juice boxes in backpacks and insulin shots after lunch. This discovery would revolutionize the way we manage type 1 diabetes and would be especially helpful to the thousands of children who are living with this disease.
I enjoyed this article very much. I think it is a really amazing concept and could have an outstanding impact on the diabetes community. I think that the author did a really good job of explaining the concept of the artificial pancreas, but she lacked in explaining the details of how the artificial pancreas would be implanted, the risks that correspond with that, and how the artificial pancreas would actually do the monitoring of the blood sugar and release of hormones. Even though this piece was missing, this article was very informative and interesting.
Citation:
Sifferlin, Alexandra. "The Bionic Pancreas Is Getting Closer to Reality." Time. Time Inc., 01 Apr. 2016. Web. 03 Apr. 2016. <http://time.com/4278068/bionic-pancreas-company/>.
Ansley, what a great review. I thoroughly enjoyed reading your article. I think you did a really great job summarizing the material; the point of the article was clearly presented. I also think that you did a good job explaining how the new pancreas regulates blood sugar and how it not only produces insulin, but also produces glucagon. I also liked how you connected this research to today's society and how important this new pancreas can be for adolescents diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes.
ReplyDeleteAlthough your review was sound and to the point, there are areas that you can improve upon. I think that if you added a quote from the doctor from BU on his research, that would have made your article more compelling. I also would have liked to have seen you discuss some of the cons to this new pancreas whether it be technological difficulties with the smart phone usage or the cost of receiving one of the pancreases.
Overall, I really enjoyed reading your article. I had no idea that these artificial pancreases were being developed and I hope to see them to be developed further. I think that if this pancreas method becomes success and more normal, it may be able to be used by most people with Type 1 diabetes.
Sifferlin, Alexandra. "The Bionic Pancreas Is Getting Closer to Reality." Time. Time Inc., 01 Apr. 2016. Web. 03 Apr. 2016. .
Estelle Kelty
ReplyDeleteAP Bio
Current Event 17
Citation:
Sifferlin, Alexandra. "The Bionic Pancreas Is Getting Closer to Reality." Time. Time Inc., 01 Apr. 2016. Web. 03 Apr. 2016. .
I really enjoyed reading Ansley’s article review, it was informative, current, and interesting. I really liked how Ansley included background on the main focus of the article, the creation and need for the bionic pancreas as well as its ties to type I Diabetes. It made the article review more scientific and accurate, as well as comprehensible for common students who do not know what the need for these bionic pancreases were. She also included information regarding the economic standpoint of the issue including, "Beta Bionics just received $5 million from Eli Lilly, the pharmaceutical company that makes the insulin for the artificial pancreas.” (Sifferlin). Another thing done well is a selection of an article that is very relatable to the students reading it. It was an appropriate choice of article seeing as some of our classmates most certainly know at least one person affected with diabetes that this new advance could help.
Two things that could have been improved was the comprehension level. I felt like the summary went further into the article without first explaining it in a few aspects. Another thing would be further information about the possibilities this advancement has created or other opportunities that could arise from this situation.
One thing I took away from this article was that eventually it could be possible for scientists to be able to help patients with Type I Diabetes and this will really assist the general public because this is a large issue diabetics face. Overall a great article review!
Ansley,
ReplyDeleteOnce again you did a phenomenal job with your current event review. One area in which you were especially proficient was in the background knowledge you provided. You were able to successfully tie the need of a bionic pancreas to Type I diabetes. Another area in which you were equally as successful was in your ability to integrate quotes. This appeal to authority proved to strengthen your claim, and was very effective. Lastly, I thought you did well in picking a topic that reflects the research we have done regarding Type I diabetes in class.
Although your review was excellent, a further in depth look into the changes a bionic pancreas would make to the current treatment of diabetes. Although you started to establish this connection, a more in depth explanation would serve to make your review stronger. Also, definitions of terms in your background knowledge would improve the ease with which the reader could enjoy your piece.
Again, great job. One thing that I learned from your review is that bionic pancreases are being developed -- I was previously unaware of this and how it could help treat Type I diabetes.
Work Cited:
Sifferlin, Alexandra. "The Bionic Pancreas Is Getting Closer to Reality." Time. Time Inc., 01 Apr. 2016. Web. 03 Apr. 2016. .
As always, very well done. You displayed a very good understanding of the information given in the article. Your knowledge reflected into your review in the sense that you presented the information in a very easy to digest manor for the reader. Additionally, you implemented quotes very effectively which made your review that much more credible. The third aspect of your review that I found to be exemplary was the choice of the article itself. Over the year the term bio related article seems to have lost its meaning and a lot of the stuff on this blog has begun to be irrelevant to class but this was an outlier.
ReplyDeleteWhile these areas of your article were great, there were certain aspects of this review that could have been improved. For example, the review was just a bit too brief. I found myself needing to go into the article itself to get more of a grasp on the topic and there were certain pieces of information in the article that I felt should have been included in the review. Secondly, you used a couple of terms that I did not know the meaning of and would have appreciated definitions.
I was aware that people were trying to create organs using 3d printing and other methods was completely unaware of the technology mentioned in this article.
Sifferlin, Alexandra. "The Bionic Pancreas Is Getting Closer to Reality." Time. Time Inc., 01 Apr. 2016. Web. 03 Apr. 2016.
http://time.com/4278068/bionic-pancreas-company/