About Careers MedBlog Contact us
Medindia LOGIN REGISTER
Advertisement

New Engineered 'Glucose-Responsive Insulin' may Control Diabetes More Efficiently

by Dr. Trupti Shirole on February 16, 2015 at 9:43 AM
Font : A-A+

 New Engineered 'Glucose-Responsive Insulin' may Control Diabetes More Efficiently

A new engineered insulin for diabetes patients hopes to improve the treatment as insulin is critical to maintain good health and normal blood-sugar levels (BSL), revealed a study conducted at Koch Institute.

Researchers showed that their modified insulin can circulate in the bloodstream for at least 10 hours, and that it responds rapidly to changes in blood-sugar levels. This could eliminate the need for diabetic patients to repeatedly monitor their BSL and inject insulin throughout the day.

Advertisement

Researcher Daniel Anderson, said, "The real challenge was to get the right amount of insulin available when one needs it, because if one has too little insulin their blood sugar goes up, and if one have too much, it can go dangerously low, a condition known as hypoglycemia that can lead to shock and even death."

To create this glucose-responsive insulin, the research team first added a hydrophobic molecule called an aliphatic domain, which is a long chain of fatty molecules dangling from the insulin molecule. This helps the insulin circulate in the bloodstream for a longer duration. Researchers do not yet know exactly the reason for this phenomenon. They suggest that the fatty tail may bind to albumin, a protein found in the bloodstream, sequestering the insulin and preventing it from latching onto sugar molecules.

Anderson said, "Giving this type of insulin once a day instead of long-acting insulin could offer patients a better alternative that reduces their blood-sugar swings, which can cause health problems when they continue for years and decades."

Source: Medindia
Advertisement

Advertisement
Advertisement

Recommended Reading

Latest Diabetes News

Why Is Losing a Pancreatic Cell Contributing to Diabetes?
Type 2 diabetes mice injected with beta cells with increased CD63 protein marker production had their blood sugar levels restored to normal.
New Artificial Pancreas can Help Your Child with Diabetes: Here's How
Good news to children with diabetes: New artificial pancreas can help improve blood sugar control in kids.
Bright Lights, Big Risk: Alarming Link Between Light Exposure and Gestational Diabetes!
New study reveals the link between pre-sleep light exposure and gestational diabetes mellitus in pregnant women.
 Ease Diabetic Neuropathy Pain With Spinal Cord Stimulation
Spinal cord stimulation delivers electrical stimulation to the spinal cord to cut off pain signals to the brain and may ease pain associated with diabetic neuropathy.
How Digital Therapeutics Improve Blood Sugar Levels?
Cognitive behavioral therapy delivered via smartphone app was found to lower blood sugar levels in type 2 diabetes people.
View All
This site uses cookies to deliver our services.By using our site, you acknowledge that you have read and understand our Cookie Policy, Privacy Policy, and our Terms of Use  Ok, Got it. Close
×

New Engineered 'Glucose-Responsive Insulin' may Control Diabetes More Efficiently Personalised Printable Document (PDF)

Please complete this form and we'll send you a personalised information that is requested

You may use this for your own reference or forward it to your friends.

Please use the information prudently. If you are not a medical doctor please remember to consult your healthcare provider as this information is not a substitute for professional advice.

Name *

Email Address *

Country *

Areas of Interests