A “bionic pancreas” system that automatically controls blood sugar levels -- with the help of a smartphone -- helped more than two dozen people live free of finger pricks and provided a glimpse into "normal life" for diabetics, researchers reported Sunday. The system, which uses a glucose monitor, insulin pump and a smartphone to help each component of the device communicate. In two separate experiments, Ed Damiano of Boston University, Dr. Steven Russell of Massachusetts General Hospital and their team tested the device on 20 “free-range” adults and 32 teenagers at a special summer camp for youth and children with diabetes and the results surpassed anything the researchers had hoped for, they reported in the New England Journal of Medicine.
