Scientists uncover ‘holy grail’ insulin which adapts to diabetics’ changing blood sugar levels in real time so they may only have to inject once a week
- Six breakthrough insulin research projects awarded £3m
The treatment of millions of people with type 1 diabetes worldwide is set to be revolutionised thanks to a breakthrough insulin that responds to changing blood levels.
The solution consists of smart insulin that kicks in when the body needs it, which is as close to a cure as existing drug therapy.
Scientists have developed a new form of insulin that mimics the changes in the body’s blood sugar levels, allowing patients to treat themselves with insulin only once a week.
People with type 1 diabetes currently have to inject themselves with synthetic insulin up to ten times a day.
While these existing insulins help stabilize blood sugar levels when injected into the body, they may not respond to subsequent changes.
Scientists have discovered a new smart insulin that could revolutionize the treatment of type 1 diabetes. A file photo of an insulin injection pen
Experts believe that in the future, patients may only need to use the newly developed insulin once a week.
Millions of pounds of funding have been awarded to accelerate the development of the new glucose-responsive insulin (GRI). Guardian reported.
Teams from Stanford University in the US, Monash University in Australia and Zhejiang University in China are among those awarded £3m for six research projects to develop smart insulins.
Four of the projects are focused on developing new GRIs, while another project has been launched to find a variant that works ultra-fast.
Dr Tim Heise, vice chair of the scientific advisory panel for novel insulins for the Type 1 Diabetes Grand Challenge, said the new GRIs would be the “holy grail” of insulin.
Millions of pounds of funding have been awarded to accelerate the development of the new glucose-responsive insulin (GRI) (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 keeping their blood sugar levels under control while preventing hypoglycemia.
Insulin was discovered over 100 years ago, in 1921, by Canadian surgeon Dr. Frederick Banting and his assistant Charles Best.
According to Dr Elizabeth Robertson, director of research at Diabetes UK, the new solution would “significantly reduce the daily challenges” and improve the physical and mental health of people living with the disease.