Nation IN BRIEF : MASSACHUSETTS : Insulin Implant for Diabetics Tested

Diabetics may soon receive long-lasting insulin implants, freeing them from daily insulin injections, researchers at Harvard Medical School said. Dr. Robert Lanza said dogs have been successfully implanted with a kind of artificial pancreas which holds capsules that release insulin-producing cells. The technology will be tested on humans within a year, he said. While not a cure for diabetes, Lanza said it could become the preferred treatment. “As soon as the sugar goes up (the device) releases the insulin. Then when the sugar goes down they shut off,” Lanza said.