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Daily Insulin Shots May Be a Thing of the Past

Posted: Monday, August 02, 2010

That daily shot of insulin may soon be a thing of the past. Scientists at the National Immunology Institute in New Delhi, India, have developed a new form of insulin which could maintain normal blood sugar levels for over 120 days.

Dr. Avadhesha Surolia, Director of the National Institute of Immunology and Professor of Biophysics, Molecular Biophysics Unit, Indian Institute of Science, stated that the insulin currently available can work for a maximum of 18 hours, forcing diabetes patients to take at least one injection daily to sustain their sugar levels. With this new product, they can now restrict their shots to once every four months.

Dr. Surolia said the new product, which has been tested successfully in animals, was based on the principles of "protein folding," and could release insulin molecules in a controlled and sustained manner for over 120 days.

"The just above basal level of human insulin released in a sustained manner has been found to be effective in not only controlling the upsurge in the level of blood glucose after meals, but also in preventing the dreaded early morning hypoglycemia, which is caused by low glucose levels," he said.

The team has already patented the technology and transferred it to a US-based company for fine-tuning and clinical trials, and the product is likely to be in the market in about six years.

Source: http://www.diabetesincontrol.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=9630&catid=53&Itemid=8, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences