 This hockey puck-sized medical device represents a dramatic step forward in the treatment of diabetes. It's called PIMS, Programmable Implantable Medication System. All this sophisticated hardware fits together in a titanium shell to form a computer, pump and reservoir. Inventor Robert Fischel. This whole computer for PIMS runs on just over one minute the power of a flashlight bulb. Some of the technology was borrowed from a pair of Viking spacecraft that landed on Mars in the mid-1970s. So far, about 20 patients have received the experimental implant. It's inserted just below the skin in the abdomen and can be refilled with insulin every two to three months. The first recipient of PIMS was Jack Pietro, a professor at American University's School of International Service in Washington, D.C. For 28 years, Jack has had diabetes. Like one million other Americans, he coped with his body's inability to break down sugars through daily insulin injections. Jack's daily routine includes some tasks common to us all and some not so common. He must do a blood sugar test before and after all meals and activities. The reading helps determine how much insulin he needs after considering what he will eat for breakfast. With this handheld unit, information is relayed to the pump's computer controlling the release of insulin. Once an appropriate dose is entered, a start command is given. The two units communicate with each other using telemetry, the same way satellites beam information from outer space. The key to maintaining normal blood sugar is to be careful regulation of diet, insulin and exercise. Jack plays tennis regularly. He thinks PIMS may have helped him win last summer's 55 and over Baltimore Open Tennis Championship. One of the sort of unsuspected benefits for me has been a general upgrading of health. I feel better and in many ways it's like a new life. Meet 23-year-old Melissa Frank, a lab technician in Eldersburg, Maryland. For as long as she can remember, diabetes has been part of her life. Melissa regulates her blood sugar with insulin injections often four times a day, but there are side effects. For instance, her skin has developed a dangerous resistance to absorbing insulin properly. This results in poor blood sugar control, which can lead to blindness, nerve disorders, liver and heart damage. This summer, Melissa is going to have an insulin pump implanted and is very excited because she has seen the difference it has made with other patients who have it. That's why I want it, because I've had my disease so wrong now, I don't want to have complications by the time I hit 30. PIMS, Programmable Implantable Medication System, using space technology to improve the daily lives of people with diabetes.