Editor's Recommendation: Researchers have discovered a new way to deliver insulin to the body. This medication, which can be taken orally, has been tested on baboons and has been found to lower blood sugar levels without causing hypoglycemia. The new insulin will be tested on humans in 2025, and if all goes well, diabetics will be able to live an easier life without injections.
There are about 4 in the world2.5 billion people live with diabetes. About 75 million of them inject themselves with insulin every day. Now, they may soon have a new way to replace syringes or insulin pumps. Scientists have discovered a new way to deliver smart insulin to the body.
This new type of insulin can be consumed in a capsule or a piece of chocolate.
In this new type of insulin, we find tiny nanocarriers in which insulin is encapsulated. These particles are only one-ten-thousandth the width of a human hair and are so small that they are invisible under an ordinary microscope.
This is more precise than injecting insulin because it quickly delivers insulin to the parts of the body where it is needed most. When you inject insulin with a syringe, it spreads throughout the body, causing unnecessary *** Professor Peter McCourt of the Arctic University at UIT in Norway explained.
The study was recently published in the journal Nature Nanotechnology.
Years ago, researchers from the University of Sydney and the Sydney Local Health District collaborated with UIT to discover that it was possible to deliver drugs to the liver via nanocarriers. This approach was subsequently further developed in Australia and Europe.
Many drugs can be taken orally, but until now, people have had to inject insulin into their bodies. The problem with nanocarrier insulin, McCourt explains, is that it breaks down in the stomach so it can't get to where it's needed in the body. This has been a major challenge in developing a diabetes drug that can be taken orally.
But now researchers have solved this challenge.
"We invented a coating that protects insulin from being broken down by stomach acid and digestive enzymes as it passes through the digestive system, ensuring that insulin reaches its destination safely, which is the liver," McCourt said. ”
Then, enzymes that are active only when blood sugar levels are high break down this coating in the liver, releasing insulin, which can then act in the liver, muscles, and fat, removing sugar from the bloodstream.
This means that when blood sugar is high, insulin is released quickly, and more importantly, when blood sugar is low, insulin is not released. Nicholas J., University of SydneyHunt said.
He explained that this is a more practical and patient-friendly approach to diabetes, as it greatly reduces the risk of hypoglycemic events, namely hypoglycemia, and allows the release of insulin to be controlled according to the patient's needs, rather than releasing all the insulin at once, as is the case with injections.
This new approach is similar to what insulin does in a healthy person. The pancreas produces insulin, which first passes through the liver, where most of it is absorbed and maintains stable blood sugar levels. In the new insulin method, nanocarriers release insulin in the liver, which can be absorbed in the liver or enter the bloodstream to circulate in the body.
When insulin is injected subcutaneously with a syringe, more insulin enters the muscle and fat tissue, while if the insulin is released from the pancreas, it usually leads to fat accumulation, and it can also lead to hypoglycemia, which can be dangerous for diabetics.
With the new approach, there will be fewer *** like this.
In addition, you don't need to *** yourself, and you can take the medication you need in a slightly more discreet way. Also, this form of insulin does not require refrigeration.
Oral insulin has been tested on worms, mice, and rats. Finally, the drug has already been tested on baboons from Australia's national baboon colony.
"To make oral insulin palatable, we incorporated it into sugar-free chocolate, which is popular," Hunt says. ”
Twenty baboons participated in the study, and when they took the drug, their blood sugar decreased.
These baboons are normal, healthy, but oral insulin has also been tested on mice and rats with diabetes. Mice and rats did not experience hypoglycemic events (hypoglycemia), weight gain, or hepatic fat accumulation, overcoming the current challenges of insulin injection and other oral insulins.
Now all that remains is to test this new method on humans.
By the spin-off company Endo Axiom Pty LtdLead human trials will begin in 2025. The clinical trial is conducted in three phases, and in the phase I trial, the investigators will investigate the safety of oral insulin and carefully observe the incidence of hypoglycemia in healthy and type 1 diabetes patients. The team is very excited to see if the results without hypoglycemia seen in humans can be replicated in baboons, as that would be a huge step forward. These experiments follow strict quality requirements and must be performed in collaboration with a physician to ensure the safety of the test subjects.
"After the first phase, we will know that it is safe for humans and will look at how to replace injections for diabetics in the second phase trial," Hunt said. ”
The researchers hope that the new drug will be ready for everyone within 2-3 years.
*: Nature Nanotechnology Magazine.
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