14
NEWS
New insulin?
Early research on 'smart' insulin brings hope for safer
Type 1 diabetes management. Article supplied by
Breakthrough T1D.
Researchers funded by the
Type 1 Diabetes Grand
Challenge have developed
a new insulin-glucagon
molecule, which could reduce
dangerous drops in blood glucose,
known as hypoglycaemia. For people
living with Type 1 diabetes, where
hypoglycaemia is a constant risk,
this breakthrough has the potential
to make daily management safer and
more reliable.
In Type 1 diabetes, a person's
body doesn't produce enough insulin,
meaning blood glucose levels will
continue to climb if insulin is not
given (either by injection or using
a pump). Managing blood glucose
levels is a constant balancing act for
people with Type 1 diabetes, between
administering the correct amount
of insulin and their blood glucose
going too high or too low and dealing
with the consequences of this. If
blood glucose goes too high, this can
cause a potentially fatal complication
called diabetic ketoacidosis, where a
person's blood becomes too acidic.
Sustained high blood glucose levels
can damage the eyes, feet, heart
and kidneys. If blood glucose levels
drop dangerously low it can lead to
seizures, coma, and can sometimes
be fatal.
New insulin
Findings by US-based researchers,
published in ACS Pharmacology
and Translational Science, show
success in engineering a product that
combines both glucagon and insulin
in the same molecule. Insulin is the
hormone responsible for reducing
blood sugars by enabling cells to use