There was an alternative to injecting insulin
Last reviewed: 27.11.2021
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Scientists from Switzerland have completed the creation of an alternative to injecting insulin into diabetics.
To date, the only drug that helps to survive a diabetic patient is insulin, which should be injected and administered regularly. It is prescribed to maintain an adequate level of glucose in the blood: in diabetes mellitus of the first type and sometimes - in the second type of disease. If this is a type 1 diabetes, then the function of the pancreas can be disturbed even in childhood: insulin is prescribed in this case. In the formation of autoimmune diabetes, beta-cell damage continues for dozens of years.
Scientists have long been trying to find a remedy that could serve as a valuable substitute for insulin. And, perhaps, this alternative already exists: at least, the Swiss researchers are sure of it. They managed to create a specific implant that can significantly alleviate the lives of patients with diabetes, as it saves the regular need to do injections.
A unique development was presented by specialists who are employees of the Higher Technical College of Switzerland (Zurich). An implant created by scientists is a set of receptors and cells collected under a special shell. Its structure was synthesized on the basis of modified kidney cells. Such cells have the ability to accumulate insulin, releasing it only when a specific trigger substance begins to act on the receptor mechanism of the implant. As it turned out, this substance was the real "highlight" of the discovery.
"A trigger is a substance that triggers a certain mechanism of action. It is he who forces the receptor system to work in the implant, to extract insulin. In this situation, this trigger was caffeine. That is, patients with a built-in implant to get the next dose of insulin need only drink a cup of coffee or other beverage, which contains caffeine. Thus, the patient can control the supply of insulin, controlling the sugar content in the bloodstream. We believe that this method will be very convenient and will be approved by the society. After all, a constant injection treatment has many drawbacks: besides this, the life of a person suffering from diabetes mellitus depends on the time spent on the injection, "the researchers explain.
At the moment, experts are testing the effect of implants in the laboratory. According to experts, all the tests completed were completed in favor of the new method. The preparation of clinical tests is already under way: the studies will be very wide, involving a large number of patients diagnosed with diabetes.
Presumably, the introduction of implants into clinical practice will be possible in about a decade, according to Hi-Tech News.