Docs hopeful about 'artificial pancreas'

Doctors are reporting a major step toward an "artificial pancreas," a device that would constantly monitor blood sugar in people with diabetes and automatically supply insulin as needed.

A key component of such a system -- an insulin pump programmed to shut down if blood-sugar dips too low while people are sleeping -- worked as intended in a three-month study of 247 patients.

This "smart pump," made by Minneapolis-based Medtronic Inc., is already sold in Europe, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is reviewing it now.

Whether it also can be programmed to mimic a real pancreas and constantly adjust insulin based on continuous readings from a blood-sugar monitor requires more testing.

"Before we said it's a dream. We have the first part of it now and I really think it will be developed," said Dr. Richard Bergenstal, diabetes chief at Park Nicollet, a large clinic in St. Louis Park, Minn.

Besides Medtronic, Johnson & Johnson and several other research groups are working on artificial pancreas devices.

-- AP