1. A life-changing story of invention for people with diabetes Dan Quinn 21

3. Introduction and Definition An Insulin Pump is a machine that delivers certain amounts of INSULIN. Insulin is a hormone that helps muscles receive glucose (a type of sugar), just under the skin. Insulin is required for the treatment of people who have the medical condition of type 1 (insulin- dependent) diabetes. Without Insulin many people with Diabetes would go blind, lose limbs and quite often die. There are many ways to deliver the insulin to people with diabetes, such as needles and nasal sprays, but the most recent invention in insulin delivery is the insulin pump.

4. Invention and Innovation The insulin pump has changed a lot over the years. The first ever pump was made in the 1960's by Dean Kamem. It was rather like a backpack giving the name "the big blue brick" and was shockingly expensive. Sadly it had almost no settings. The big blue brick was almost a danger! Pump innovations led to smaller and smaller devices with more and more functions until the first FDA approved insulin pump was sold by Minimed in 1983. Nowadays pumps have bolus calculators, alarm clocks, language settings, sensors capable of reading B.S.L.'s, basal settings as well as compatibility with computers which can give an insight upon the pump settings. These new settings can enable the life of diabetic to be easier. but of course there is always room for improvement. I myself would recommend a more improved sensor that instead of measuring interstitial fluid it measures the actual blood itself as well as a wired or improved wireless connection to the pump

5. Dean Kamem Novo Nordisk Marcel Janbon Chance Brothers Frederick Banting Timeline

6. Benefit – less stabbing Insulin pumps are much improved on simple injections. As the insulin is delivered from a reservoir through tubing to a subcutaneous cannula, the number of times a diabetic is stabbed is reduced. For example, if you were having needles over 6 days you would be stabbed 30 times; when using a pump this is only 2 times.

7. Benefit – normal eating The insulin flow is more natural using a pump. With a pump, a small amount of insulin is delivered all the time as a basal dose, just like what happens with normal pancreas. When you eat you need to add in a bolus dose of insulin matched to the amount and type of carbohydrates there are in the meal. This happens automatically if your pancreas works. If you have diabetes and are using needles then you need to have a certain amount of food at a specific time to match the dose of insulin injected. This is really hard for kids and totally boring. You can't just decide to eat something else as someone is having a party or to sleep in and skip a meal - you have to stick to the eating plan and timetable. Pumps are a blessing and improve the quality of life -especially for kids with diabetes.

8. Bibliography Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Insulin_pump http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sulfonylurea http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Syringe http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Insulin About.com http://diabetes.about.com/od/equipmentandbreakthroughs/p/insulinpumps.htm http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_year_was_the_insulin_pump_inventedttp://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_year_was_the_insulin_pump_invented http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Novo-Nordisk-New-study-bw-15381709.html?.v=1 Dr Maheux's history of insulin http://www.kem.edu/dept/clinical_pharmacology Conclusion I am Diabetic and I have to have Insulin supplied artificially and I couldn't live without it. Now there were and are many ways to do this and my family has chosen to keep up with the times and equipped me with an Insulin Pump.