A potential method of managing Type I diabetes is the transplantation of pancreatic islet cells capable of producing insulin.

This could help eliminate the need for regular insulin shots.

The downside is that these cells eventually get depleted of oxygen,halting their insulin production.

To address this issue,engineers at MIT(Cambridge,MA,USA;www.web.mit.edu) have created a new implantable device that not only houses hundreds of thousands of insulin-making islet cells but also contains its own mechanism for producing oxygen by splitting water vapor found naturally in the body.

The tram is now considering scaling up the device to the size of a chewing gum stick for trials in people with Type I diabetes.