BioHub Offers New Hope to Diabetes Sufferers

For more than 24 million Americans, diabetes is a harsh part of everyday life. The disease is particularly prevalent among the Latino community, and Hispanic adults are almost twice as likely as white non-Hispanics to be diagnosed with diabetes.

Countless researchers have been working tirelessly for years trying to find a possible cure for the disease, which seems to be on the upswing. According to a 2010 report from the Centers for Disease Control, 1 out of 3 adults in the United States could be diagnosed with diabetes by the year 2050. An answer to many people's prayers, however, may be around the corner.

On March 5th, researchers under the leadership of Dr. Camillo Ricordi at the Diabetes Research Institute at the University of Miami announced a medical breakthrough, a biologically-engineered organ that would mimic the pancreas in creating the precise amount of insulin the body would need at any given moment, thereby controlling the patient's blood sugar levels. Called the "BioHub," it was described as "the closest medical science has gotten to a cure" for Type 1 diabetes, the variety also known as juvenile diabetes because most patients develop it either during their childhood or teen years.

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Source: ABC News