The sensor, about three times the thickness of a human hair, is designed so a patient can easily implant it beneath the skin with a needle. An alarm beeps when the patient needs insulin. Wilson's long-range goal is to develop a monitoring system that could be linked to an insulin pump and signal the pump to administer appropriate amounts of insulin. Klein is responsible for the development of the control unit and its software. Research shows that intensive management of insulin-dependent diabetes can reduce complications by 30 percent to 70 percent, Wilson noted.
Intensive management requires a diabetic to monitor blood-sugar levels three to seven times a day.
The person must prick a finger with a needle to get a blood sample and then apply the blood to a detection strip. With the sensor, these steps are eliminated and blood sugar is monitored continuously. The size of the sensor is very similar to what diabetics use two or three times daily for the injection of insulin. This site is maintained by University Relations, the public relations office for the University of Kansas Lawrence campus. Copyright 1996, the University of Kansas Office of University Relations.