Insulin

A research group at the University of Iowa has built what is described as a "remote control" for diabetes management that uses electromagnetic fields (EMFs) to reduce blood sugar levels and improve the body’s response to insulin.

A new study is suggesting a strong coffee first thing in the morning, especially following a night of disrupted sleep, can impair the body’s glucose response. The researchers recommend coffee should consumed in the morning after food, and not before.

The promising results of a Phase 2 trial testing a new, once-weekly insulin treatment for type 2 diabetes have been published. The weekly injection was found to be as safe and effective as daily insulin shots and a larger Phase 3 trial is currently being planned.

New research carried out in Singapore demonstrates how magnets can be used to pinch and apply pressure to the skin, which opens up additional pathways for drugs such as insulin to enter the body in safer, more efficient ways.

Researchers have developed an ultrafast-acting form of insulin that promises to work up to four times faster than current formulations. The novel drug has only been tested in animals so far but the researchers hope to test it in human trials soon.

Scientists at the University of Utah have borrowed useful elements of cone snail venom to produce a potent hybrid “mini-insulin” that acts far more swiftly, and could make treating diabetes far more effective as a result.

Imagine a device that lets people with diabetes use an app to give themselves a boost of insulin when they need it, without an injection. A prototype device can do just that, using electricity to control gene expression in encapsulated beta cells.

A new experimental drug could help mitigate some of the dangerous side effects caused by a once-promising diabetes medication. Animal tests suggest the combination treatment is both safe and effective at helping regulate blood sugar levels in diabetics.

Researchers have developed a novel technique that combines two diabetes drugs into a single injection. Previously these compounds required separate injections, creating a barrier for treatment that led to few diabetics embracing the novel therapy.

One emerging treatment for diabetes involves converting stem cells into beta cells that secrete insulin. Now scientists have developed a more efficient method, and implanting these cells in diabetic mice functionally cured them of the disease.

People living with Type 1 diabetes are faced with some daily hassles, such as finger-prick blood tests and insulin injections. An Israeli biomedical firm is now stating that such tasks may soon no longer be necessary, thanks to its prototype implant.

Regular insulin can accumulate into clumps to create blockages that pose a risk to diabetics, but scientists in Australia have engineered what they say is a safer alternative, with egg yolks serving as their starting point.