An 'insulin pill' could change the way diabetics keep their blood sugar levels in check!
| Updated: Jun 27, 2018, 14:18 IST
Researchers, including one of Indian-origin, have developed what is being called the 'Holy Grail' of diabetes treatment. Researchers of this treatment have developed a pill which could help diabetics keep their blood sugar levels in check. It is hoped now that this oral delivery of insulin could eliminate the need for painful injections. Yes, this means no more insulin jabs!
Published in the journal, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, this research was conducted by researchers at the Harvard John A Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) and they outlined how they found a way to deliver insulin orally. Other than the path-breaking oral method of insulin, they also said that the pill could mitigate many of the disease’s life-threatening side effects that result from patients avoiding insulin therapy, which is administered from an injection under the skin or delivered by an insulin pump.
"But many people fail to adhere to that regimen due to pain, phobia of needles, and the interference with normal activities," said Samir Mitragotri and Hansjorg Wyss, two of the report’s authors. "The consequences of the resulting poor glycemic control can lead to serious health complications," they added. Scientists have previously struggled to deliver insulin orally due to the fact it does not fare well when it encounters acids in the stomach and is poorly absorbed out of the intestine. "Our approach is like a Swiss army knife, where one pill has tools for addressing each of the obstacles that are encountered," said Mr Mitragotri.
Another of the report’s authors, Amrita Banerjee, explained, "When a protein molecule such as insulin enters the intestine, there are many enzymes whose function is to degrade the proteins into smaller amino acids. But the ionic liquid-borne insulin remains stable." According to the researchers, the resulting formulation is biocompatible, easy to manufacture and can be stored for up to two months at room temperature without degrading – longer than some injectable insulin products currently on the market. “It has been the Holy Grail of drug delivery to develop ways to give protein and peptide drugs like insulin by mouth, instead of injection,” said Mark Prausnitz, junior chair in chemical and biomolecular engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology.
The researchers plan to conduct more animal testing, as well as long-term toxicological and bioavailability studies. We hear that they seem optimistic that they will get the approval for clinical trials in humans if all goes well, as the ionic liquids choline and geranic acid are already considered safe.
Stay tuned for updates on this.
Published in the journal, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, this research was conducted by researchers at the Harvard John A Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) and they outlined how they found a way to deliver insulin orally. Other than the path-breaking oral method of insulin, they also said that the pill could mitigate many of the disease’s life-threatening side effects that result from patients avoiding insulin therapy, which is administered from an injection under the skin or delivered by an insulin pump.
"But many people fail to adhere to that regimen due to pain, phobia of needles, and the interference with normal activities," said Samir Mitragotri and Hansjorg Wyss, two of the report’s authors. "The consequences of the resulting poor glycemic control can lead to serious health complications," they added. Scientists have previously struggled to deliver insulin orally due to the fact it does not fare well when it encounters acids in the stomach and is poorly absorbed out of the intestine. "Our approach is like a Swiss army knife, where one pill has tools for addressing each of the obstacles that are encountered," said Mr Mitragotri.
Another of the report’s authors, Amrita Banerjee, explained, "When a protein molecule such as insulin enters the intestine, there are many enzymes whose function is to degrade the proteins into smaller amino acids. But the ionic liquid-borne insulin remains stable." According to the researchers, the resulting formulation is biocompatible, easy to manufacture and can be stored for up to two months at room temperature without degrading – longer than some injectable insulin products currently on the market. “It has been the Holy Grail of drug delivery to develop ways to give protein and peptide drugs like insulin by mouth, instead of injection,” said Mark Prausnitz, junior chair in chemical and biomolecular engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology.
The researchers plan to conduct more animal testing, as well as long-term toxicological and bioavailability studies. We hear that they seem optimistic that they will get the approval for clinical trials in humans if all goes well, as the ionic liquids choline and geranic acid are already considered safe.
Stay tuned for updates on this.