A patch to change the lives of diabetics
The daily life of diabetics is most often punctuated by repeated insulin injections . Indeed, people with diabetes require regular injections of insulin in order to control blood sugar levels.
This constraint could soon fly away. Indeed, researchers at North Carolina State University in the United States have conducted research in order to be able to replace injections with a simple patch. Utopian you say? Maybe not that much…
The study
With the aim of improving the daily lives of diabetics, researchers have invented a patch to detect hyperglycaemia and inject insulin. This patch was tested on type 1 diabetic mice. The results of the study have been published in the Proceedings of the American Academy of Sciences (PNAS) (1) .
the patch
This patch is a technological revolution. Indeed, in the form of a transdermal patch no bigger than a 10 cent coin, it has micro-needles the size of an eyelash. The microneedles, with microreservoirs, contain glucose-reactive enzymes, and also contain insulin. The patch is thus able to detect a high level of sugar in the blood and inject a personalized dose of insulin.
The results
The results are very encouraging . Indeed, during the study, the patch was effective in mice for 9 hours. The lead author of the study, Zhen Gu, a professor in the department of biomedical engineering at North Carolina State University, even points out that this patch works quickly, is easy to use and is made with non-toxic materials. toxic and biocompatible. He also adds that the patch can be customized taking into account the patient’s weight as well as their insulin sensitivity.
Encouraging for the sick
This patch could therefore allow people with diabetes to find a life a little easier despite the disease. Although the study was positive on mice, more research is still needed. Indeed, clinical trials and tests are still essential in order to allow this patch to be marketed in the near future.
Diabetes is affecting more and more people around the world. The side effects of this disease are numerous , sometimes leading to death. This revolutionary system could therefore not only improve the daily lives of patients, but also sometimes save their lives.
Stephen Paul is the lead author and founder of My Health Sponsor. Holder of a diploma in health and well-being coaching with more than 200 articles in the field of health, he makes it a point of honor to offer advice based on reliable information, based on scientific research, and verified by health professionals.