Worldwide, approximately 425 million people are affected by diabetes and of these, approximately 75 million do theinsulin everyday. But now the dream of a life without needles could be closer for those who live with diabetes and are forced to inject insulin daily. There could be one solution new intelligent insulin which can be assumed in capsule“or better yet inside a piece of chocolate”, sugar-free obviously. In fact, a team of scientists has found a new way to supply the body with ‘smart’ insulin. The research results are published in the journal ‘Nature Nanotechnology’.
Human trials are expected in 2025, with the hope that the new medicine will be ready for use by 2-3 years, experts say.
Insulin in nanocarriers
In detail, the authors of the study managed to encapsulate insulin in tiny nanovettori. The particles obtained are 1/10,000 the width of a human hair, so small that they cannot be seen even with a normal microscope. “This way of taking insulin is more precise because it transports it quickly to the areas of the body that need it most – explains one of the researchers involved in the study, Peter McCourt of UiT Norway’s Arctic University – When the drug is injected with a syringe it spreads throughout the body where it can cause unwanted side effects.” Instead, the target of the new research is to bring insulin to a single destination: the liver.
Many years ago, researchers from the University of Sydney and the Sydney Local Health District, in collaboration with UiT, discovered that it was possible to deliver medicines to the liver via nanocarriers. The method was then further developed in Australia and Europe.
Many medicines can be taken orally, but insulin cannot. McCourt explains that the problem with using it with nanocarriers is that it breaks down in the stomach and therefore doesn’t get to where it’s needed. This was a major challenge, which the researchers now say they have solved. “We have created a covering to protect insulin from degradation by stomach acids and digestive enzymes on its way through the digestive system, keeping it safe until it reaches its destination, the liver“says McCourt.
The coating that protects the insulin is then broken down in the liver by enzymes that are active only when blood sugar levels are high, releasing the molecule where it can then work, in the liver, muscles and fat, to remove sugar from the blood. “This means that when blood sugar is high, there is a rapid release of insulin and, more importantly, when blood sugar is low, no insulin is released”says Nicholas J. Hunt of the University of Sydney, who together with his colleague Victoria Cogger is leading the project.
A practical and tailor-made method
It is a more practical method – highlights Hunt – and tailored to manage diabetes, because it significantly reduces the risk of hypoglycemia occurring and allows the controlled release of insulin based on the patient’s needs, unlike injections. The system is much more similar to how insulin works in healthy people. In those who are not affected by the disease, in fact, the pancreas produces insulin which first passes through the liver, where much of it is absorbed and keeps blood sugar levels stable.
In the method developed by the experts, the nanocarrier releases insulin into the liver, where it can be absorbed or enter the blood for circulation. It also means fewer side effects and no needles, experts point out.
Animal testing
Oral insulin has been tested on worms (roundworms) and on mice and rats with diabetes. And now about the baboons in the National Baboon Colony in Australia. “To make oral insulin appealing we incorporated it into sugar-free chocolate, and this approach was well received”, smiles Hunt. Twenty healthy baboons took part in this study, they received the medicine and their blood sugar level was lowered.
Experimentation in humans
Now the last step remains: testing the new method on humans. “Human trials will begin in 2025 led by spin-out company Endo Axiom Pty” to examine the safety and incidence of hypoglycemia in healthy people and people with type 1 diabetes in phase 1, Hunt informs. “We are excited to see if we can reproduce in humans the results of no hypoglycemia seen in baboons, it would be a huge step forward. Experiments follow strict quality requirements and must be conducted in collaboration with doctors to ensure they are safe for test subjects.”. Hopefully, “We will study how it can replace injections for diabetic patients in phase 2 studies.” The researchers hope that the new medicine could be ready for use within 2-3 years.
Continue reading on MeteoWeb