Bio researchers have discovered a new way of managing blood glucose among type 1 diabetes patients that they won't need regular insulin injections.
Type 1 diabetes affects at least 300,000 people in Britain alone, and the disease usually begins during childhood. It is an autoimmune disorder wherein the patient's body attacks beta cells in the pancreas, the organ responsible for producing insulin. Insulin is the hormone that acts as a transporter of blood glucose to cells, where it will be used as a source of energy.
Without the right amount of insulin, therefore, glucose stays in the bloodstream and cells are not able to perform their basic but vital functions properly.
To regulate insulin production, type 1 diabetes needs to inject insulin into their body, usually in the abdomen that is closest to the pancreas. Depending on the amount of insulin needed, the patient may have to do this several times a day. This leads to time-consuming but necessary monitoring. Sometimes patients may end up injecting too much insulin, which is still harmful to the body.
A team of biologists from the University of Utah led by Danny Chou, has developed a new way of regulating insulin that automatically adjusts itself depending on the level of the hormone in the body. This way, the patient doesn't have to regularly monitor his blood glucose and may even limit injections to once a day.
The "smart insulin" is a compound called Ins-PBA-F. When introduced into the body via injection, it attaches itself to albumin, a kind of blood protein. This insulin is then stored and is released only when blood sugar reaches a certain limit. It also adjusts itself when you've accidentally taken too much insulin. Most of all, it will remain available for 24 hours.
The compound has been tested only on mice, so it's unclear how this truly works on humans. However, it's a promising study that can make diabetes management much easier and simpler.
