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By using nanomaterial layers to package insulin, researchers have developed a stable and effective method for administering the hormone orally to rats without subjecting
it to destruction by stomach acids, solving a long-time problem in pharmaceutical science.
The system, described in a study published April 6 in Chemical Science, could replace traditional subcutaneous administration of insulin for patients with diabetes. This would eliminate the need for self-injection and make treatment more accessible.
"Imagine being able to take insulin in a pill instead of injecting it a couple of times a day," said first author Farah Benyettou, a research scientist in the Trabolsi Research Group at New York University Abu Dhabi. "The insulin was loaded in a system that protects it from the acidic environment of the stomach. Once in the body, the system can sense the sugar blood level and can release the loaded insulin on demand."
Diabetes is the seventh-leading cause of death worldwide, and its prevalence has quadrupled in the past 40 years. Patients with Type 1 diabetes do not produce insulin at all, while those with Type 2 diabetes either do not produce enough insulin or their bodies fail to respond to the insulin produced by the body. In both cases, in the absence of insulin, the body is no longer able to break down sugar in the bloodstream, which can be fatal.
Insulin therapy is a life-changing intervention. And while about 30% of diabetes patients take insulin, many delay treatment because they fear self-injection. Research has documented this effect. A study from Diabetic Medicine found that about 30% of patients delay insulin treatment initially. Those who eventually do start often delay by two years or more.
An effective insulin pill could solve this problem.
it to destruction by stomach acids, solving a long-time problem in pharmaceutical science.
The system, described in a study published April 6 in Chemical Science, could replace traditional subcutaneous administration of insulin for patients with diabetes. This would eliminate the need for self-injection and make treatment more accessible.
"Imagine being able to take insulin in a pill instead of injecting it a couple of times a day," said first author Farah Benyettou, a research scientist in the Trabolsi Research Group at New York University Abu Dhabi. "The insulin was loaded in a system that protects it from the acidic environment of the stomach. Once in the body, the system can sense the sugar blood level and can release the loaded insulin on demand."
Diabetes is the seventh-leading cause of death worldwide, and its prevalence has quadrupled in the past 40 years. Patients with Type 1 diabetes do not produce insulin at all, while those with Type 2 diabetes either do not produce enough insulin or their bodies fail to respond to the insulin produced by the body. In both cases, in the absence of insulin, the body is no longer able to break down sugar in the bloodstream, which can be fatal.
Insulin therapy is a life-changing intervention. And while about 30% of diabetes patients take insulin, many delay treatment because they fear self-injection. Research has documented this effect. A study from Diabetic Medicine found that about 30% of patients delay insulin treatment initially. Those who eventually do start often delay by two years or more.
An effective insulin pill could solve this problem.
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