I guess some already have heard of similar innovations, but…
The researchers behind the study developed a type of insulin with a built-in molecular-binding that can sense how much blood sugar is in the body. As blood sugar rises, the molecule becomes more active and releases more insulin. As blood sugar drops, less is released.
Oof that story at the end of the article about the dancing couple was tough to read. So many questions about them and not the insulin.
My interest deflated when the linked story got to the “effective in rats” sub-heading.
I have been following stories of so-called “smart insulin” for at least five years but this line of research disappears from our view for years at a time.
I remember one effort years ago that used an outer film on the insulin molecule that degraded in the presence of certain levels of glucose. Once glucose dropped below that level, the protecting layer degradation stopped and prevented hypoglycemia.
It is an elegant idea but for now remains in the same group of ideas in my mind that includes warp- and impulse-speed space-craft.
Here’s one article that’s about 4-5 years old.
I usually discount animal studies, so really, my apology for not being more selective.
That little story was unwarranted, but it does happen. We have friends that from time to time remind us of a similar story, i.e., a friend’s partner that injected without testing, her partner would always the other to test first, but that time didn’t, and the other died.
It would be nice if it gets developed and works.
But the problem is that they will probably design it so that it only becomes active at some ridiculous value, like 150.
I don’t mean to discourage postings like this as they do shed some light on various research efforts.
My irritation comes from headline writers’ clear intention to tease potential readers with the promise of a medical breakthrough while they don’t appreciate the hope/disappointment whiplash that goes through the mind of readers like us, readers with a skin-in-the-game emotional investment.
Its a novel idea.
I was being sincere in that I usually discard animal studies since they are so often dead ends, or only reach fruition after long years of research.
I wasn’t being careful.
This article made me cringe in so many ways.
The way the keep saying type1 diabetes. Even though type 2 patients use insulin too sometimes.
And they talk down to the reader like we are very unintelligent children.
That little story at the end sounds made up and completely manipulative and also chiche
The author switches from first person to third person like he forgot who he is.
Gubra is. Not a pharma company. It is a company that does studies for pharma companies. There is no mention of the company who is actually making the stuff
I don’t know this news site, but it looks scammy.
This article author either does not know that or is hiding something or who knows, I have zero trust in it.
Here’s an article about the site that I found if anyone wants to read EurekAlert! Has spoiled science news. Here’s how we can fix it | by Jop de Vrieze | Medium
I find it hard to see this panning out but who knows. It seems like something that would be really hard to do, sensing the exact bg needs etc. and adjusting to that once it is already injected. Normally glucagon is involved as well as other things. It would be great if it did for anyone on insulin.
I am hopeful for something like this because my skin seems incompatible with any adhesive. I still use my pump and CGM, but I am always left with a red, itchy, irritated patch when I remove it (actually it is itchy while on too). I get less irritation with the dex sensors thankfully.
If it kept type 1s blood sugar from ever exceeding 150 it’d essentially make them gluco normal and would save hundreds of thousands of years of diabetic lives… that would not be an advance I’d characterize as ridiculous
If it only becomes active at a certain BG level, than it would most likely not lower BG significantly below that level. I have no interest in hovering around 150.
You may not, but for the vast majority of diabetics in the world that’d be a tremendous improvement
I was thinking about the different timing of long-acting insulins, in that they are engineered to have a longer or consistent effect. It is not implausible to me that researchers could harness our native metabolism/biology to control the intensity of the insulin, that when blood sugar is low or normal, more of the insulin surfaces are bound, and when it increases, maybe responding to some other system signal, more of the insulin becomes unbound, hence available to the system.
Explains the dynamics of long-acting insulin:
Novo Nordisk has started phase 1 clinical trials for glucose responsive insulin 2 months ago. Hoping it is successful.