Contents:
- Medical Video: 'Smart' insulin for better diabetes control. It gets activated only when needed.
- For whom is smart insulin created?
- How does it work?
- Future of treatment
Medical Video: 'Smart' insulin for better diabetes control. It gets activated only when needed.
If you have type 1 diabetes, managing blood sugar is part of your daily life. Or, you often monitor blood glucose levels and decide how much insulin you need and when you need it. This can be difficult and there is little potential to cause mistakes. However, what if there is a type of insulin that you can inject and don't need to think about at any time, even to fulfill insulin intake for several weeks at a time?
Researchers are working on a solution that many people call "smart insulin" or smart insulin. This type of insulin can circulate in your bloodstream, change itself when your blood sugar is high, and withdraw when your blood sugar is in a safe zone.
Insulin is still in its developmental stage, but smart insulin is a promising pathway from research that can revolutionize the treatment of diabetes.
For whom is smart insulin created?
Type 1 diabetes is usually diagnosed in children or early adulthood. In type 1 diabetes, the pancreas is unable to produce insulin. People with type 1 diabetes depend on insulin therapy for life.
Managing this disease requires continuous monitoring of blood glucose levels and calculating how much insulin is needed. Even if only one day you are careless or calculating the wrong dose of insulin, this can cause glucose levels to skyrocket or decrease. On the other hand, it can have serious effects on the body.
In the short term, low blood sugar can cause symptoms such as shakiness, dizziness, confusion, and so on. In the long term it can cause complications including nerve, kidney, and eye damage. Managing blood sugar with regular blood sugar checks and insulin injections requires constant attention.
This is a condition that can be helped by the presence of smart insulin. Insulin that can sense glucose levels and can calculate its own dose correctly will significantly reduce the burden of people who depend on insulin therapy for life.
How does it work?
To be successful, smart insulin must be able to achieve two things. He must be able to feel glucose levels in the bloodstream and respond by releasing the right amount of insulin when absolutely necessary, and stopping when not needed. Insulin also has to work all day without diet, exercise, stress, or daily activities. If you can achieve these things, insulin can maintain glucose levels in a safe zone.
Although smart insulin is not yet a reality for diabetics, researchers have made some progress. For example, scientists have developed a form of drug injection. The essence of this drug consists of insulin. When blood sugar levels rise, the nanoparticles surrounding insulin break down and allow the release of insulin into the body.
In 2013, researchers studied the effects of the "smart" insulin system on mice. The results, published in ACS Nano, show that he is able to keep blood sugar levels within a healthy range of up to 10 days.
Future of treatment
According to a report in the ACS Nano study published by North Carolina State University, researchers are discussing testing the insulin system for experiments on humans. Other organizations also work on smart insulin research. However, so far, no one has solved the smart insulin puzzle.
People with type 1 diabetes continue to manage their condition every day. However, treatment that is more effective, and can be controlled by itself may soon be realized.
Hello Health Group does not provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.
