The bark of a vine is thought to possess properties very close to insulin, bringing hope to the thousands of diabetics and the obese . This discovery has been made by DIA-B, a biotech company whose chairman is the former federal health minister Michael Wooldridge.
The company is yet to apply for a patent, so your guess is as good as mine regarding the name of the bark.To quote Dr Wooldridge, 'The medical and commercial potential this represents would be significant in the event that further research confirms that the component effectively acts as a natural 'proxy' for insulin. This is because the synthetic insulin has debilitating effects on a number of human organs when used over a long time.'
Dr Ken Walder, leader of this research, spoke of the presence of this bark on several pacific islands. He explained how the properties influence cells in much the same way as insulin does, but it might take a while before it can be tested on humans.
