by - Six research projects for groundbreaking insulins receive £3 million
The treatment of millions of type 1 diabetes patients worldwide is being revolutionized by a groundbreaking insulin that responds to changes in blood levels.
The solution is intelligent insulin, which is activated in the body exactly when it is needed and which comes as close to a cure as existing drug therapies.
Scientists have developed a new type of insulin that mimics physical changes in blood sugar levels, reducing the frequency of treatments for those affected to just once a week.
Currently, type 1 diabetics have to inject synthetic insulin up to ten times a day.
While these existing insulins help stabilize blood sugar levels when injected into the body, they cannot respond to subsequent changes.
Scientists have discovered a new smart insulin that could revolutionize the treatment of type 1 diabetes. A stock photo of an insulin injection pen
In the future, patients may only need to take the newly developed insulin once a week, experts believe.
To advance the development of the new glucose-responsive insulin (GRI), funding worth several million pounds has been approved, the Guardian reported.
The teams that have received £3 million for six research projects to develop smart insulins include teams from Stanford University in the US, Monash University in Australia and Zhejiang University in China.
Four of the projects aim to develop new GRIs, while another has been launched to find an ultra-fast-acting variant.
Dr. Tim Heise, vice-chair of the Scientific Advisory Board for Novel Insulins at the Type 1 Diabetes Grand Challenge, called the new GRIs the “Holy Grail” of insulin.
In order to advance the development of the new glucose-reactive insulin (GRI), millions of euros in funding were awarded (file photo).
He said the innovation would be a great help to patients who currently have to manage their condition on a daily basis by balancing their blood sugar control while avoiding hypoglycemia.
Insulin was discovered over 100 years ago in 1921 by Canadian surgeon Dr. Frederick Banting and his assistant Charles Best.
Dr Elizabeth Robertson, head of research at Diabetes UK, said the new solution would “significantly reduce daily challenges” and improve the physical and mental health of those affected.
