Biomedicine

Smart Insulin

(Page 2 of 2)

  • Thursday, October 30, 2008
  • By Jennifer Chu

The company has tested the drug on hundreds of rodents and recently moved to studies in pigs that don't produce enough insulin--models that may more closely resemble the diabetic environment in humans. In the experiments, the researchers injected the drug into diabetic animals and followed up with injections of sugar to simulate a meal. They tracked blood-sugar concentrations with continuous glucose monitors and also noted the amount of insulin released in response to increased glucose. So far, Zion's team has observed that the drug is able to sense and adapt to fluctuating glucose levels and deliver insulin as needed, keeping concentrations stable while avoiding insulin overdoses that may lead to hypoglycemia. The group plans to compare the technology with existing insulin-delivery devices in the future.

"The idea of having insulin that responds to glucose, and having an injection once every day, or every three or four days, would be a wonderful advance for diabetics," says Michael Sefton, a professor of chemical engineering and applied chemistry at the University of Toronto. "This could enable them to control blood sugar better and match delivery of insulin to their need for insulin." While the initial data seems promising, Sefton says, it's not yet clear whether the drug works fast enough to be effective in humans.

Zion aims to begin clinical trials within the next two years. Last week, SmartCells received $1 million to fund safety and efficacy studies in preclinical animal trials as part of a partnership with the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.

Before starting clinical trials, the researchers will have to make sure that the drug is, in essence, foolproof--that is, that there aren't any molecular signals other than glucose that could unnecessarily release insulin into the bloodstream, says Frederick Schoen, a professor of pathology and health sciences and technology at Harvard Medical School. "You have to avoid bursts of insulin, which can be dangerous," says Schoen. "It's an exciting concept, and should be pursued, but lots of questions should be answered along the way."

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cyberpageman

53 Comments

  • 1203 Days Ago
  • 10/30/2008

Fructose?

Congratulations to Todd Zion for his work and Patent Application 0040202719 and good luck to Smart Cells.

In my work over the years on glucose sensors and glucose-competitive binding, I always found fructose out-competed glucose for polymer binding, as did citric acid and other polyacids.  I finally gave up.  I hope they don't run into the same problem.  

Reply

chemist

1 Comment

  • 1200 Days Ago
  • 11/02/2008

Re: Fructose?

Yeah, too bad the "special sugar binding molecule" is Concanavalin A, a highly toxic protein.  This is yet another glaring example of some one using their MIT education, and the fact that they are addressing something desperately needed, to peddle essentially what is snake oil.  It's because of such actions that pharmaceutical research is experiencing the pullback in funding that is going on right now.  Merck took a look at this  for a veterinary application and walked away.  It's a crime that the NIH has thrown so many of our tax dollars at such  laughable research.

Reply

khurt

12 Comments

  • 1199 Days Ago
  • 11/03/2008

Re: Fructose?

You provide no evidence for your claims. Troll?

Reply

real chemist

1 Comment

  • 1136 Days Ago
  • 01/05/2009

Re: Fructose?

Merck does not have a veterinary product line (Merial is their JV with Sanofi for AH), so it sounds like the troll is making things up.  Dumb error. 

Reply

Velta

1 Comment

  • 499 Days Ago
  • 10/04/2010

Re: Fructose?

Would you please give a reference about concanavalin A?

Firstly, my son has 1-type diabet, secondly, I have mol.biol education, and so can really understand the problem.

I think, the BOUND Con.A may be not so dangerous
But I would like to have more information.

Sorry for bad English, in spite of it, I can understand everything :-)

Reply

khurt

12 Comments

  • 1199 Days Ago
  • 11/03/2008

Re: Fructose?

Sugars (fructose, sucrose, lactose, etc) are broken down into glucose before enter the blood steam.

http://www.eufic.org/page/en/page/FAQ/faqid/how-is-sugar-absorbed-used-in-the-body/

Reply

Blibstodge

1 Comment

  • 827 Days Ago
  • 11/10/2009

FRUCTOSE??

I don't know if this is possible or not, but I have been hoping for something like this to come allong for 20 years.
I did not get an education from MIT, I went to CAL STATE, but I DO know that glucose is the only sugar that ever makes into the blood stream, so there isn't any competition really.

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