Insulin

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.

Research led by UCLA has uncovered a new process that may help explain how Type 2 diabetes develops. In tests on live mice and human cells, the team found a new mechanism that triggers pancreatic cells to begin overproducing insulin.

New research from Tufts University may make it a little easier to manage diabetes. In mouse tests, the team implanted beta cells that produce more insulin on demand, when they’re activated by blue light.

A team at MIT has developed a new capsule that would survive a trip through the stomach and deliver its drug payload to the lining of the small intestine via microneedles.

New research demonstrates how a high-fat diet can disrupt levels of an intestinal immune cell known to help regulate microbial populations in the gut. The study shows how low-levels of this molecule result in increased growth of harmful gut bacteria, leading to inflammation and insulin resistance.