Scientists develop 'smart' insulin that can respond to changes in blood sugar levels in real time

Scientists have developed a type of insulin that can respond to changes in blood sugar levels in a potentially revolutionary solution for people with diabetes. real time.

“Glucose-responsive insulin, or so-called smart insulin, is seen as the holy grail of insulin,” said Tim Hythe, vice-chair of the new insulin scientific advisory committee for the UK Type 1 Diabetes Grand Challenge. said GuardianHow is this possible? “These treatments will get us as close to curing type 1 diabetes as any drug treatment ever will,” explains Hides.

The research team We, Australiaand China We have developed a new source of insulin that sits dormant in the body and can be activated and deactivated on demand, mimicking the body's natural response to changes in blood sugar levels.

Currently, insulin used by diabetics must be injected repeatedly every few hours, a tedious process for people with type 1 diabetes.

The newly developed “glucose-responsive insulin” (GRI) is activated when blood sugar levels rise and then inactivated again when blood sugar levels exceed a certain threshold. As a result, experts say, diabetics may only need to inject the smart insulin once a week.

If this sounds like an exaggeration, consider the fact that the researchers have already received millions of dollars worth of grants from the UK government to support their research. Guardian I will report.

Other funded research projects include efforts to fine-tune smart insulin so that it responds quickly and precisely to changes in blood sugar levels. Currently, GRIs have a delay after injection that can cause blood sugar levels to rise to dangerous levels.

“Insulin has saved lives for over 100 years and research has made a huge difference to people with type 1 diabetes, but it's not enough. Managing blood sugar levels with insulin is a real challenge and it's time science found ways to ease that burden,” said Director of Research Partnerships at Childhood Diabetes Research UK. Guardian.

“We hope this research will lead to life-changing advances in the treatment of type 1 diabetes,” added Elizabeth Robertson, director of research at Diabetes UK.

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