Insulin

Clinical trials of a new, once-a-week insulin have shown that it controls blood sugar as well as daily injections of an existing long-acting insulin in type 1 and type 2 diabetics. This means that some diabetics may soon not need to inject themselves as often.

The beta cells of the pancreas don’t need the assistance of other pancreatic cells to produce insulin, according to new research. The findings are a potential game-changer for diabetics and challenge a long-held assumption about how the body produces insulin.

People living with diabetes might have a new hope. Scientists have tested a new drug therapy in diabetic mice, and found that it boosted insulin-producing cells by 700% over three months, effectively reversing their disease.

Some people produce more insulin in response to proteins and fats than carbs, new research has found. Suggesting that insulin production is more individualized than first believed, the findings pave the way for treating conditions through a tailored diet.

Diabetics sick of daily injections may have renewed hope for a less invasive alternative. Scientists at the University of British Columbia (UBC) have developed a new delivery method for insulin where users just place a few drops under their tongue.

A genetically modified cow has produced milk containing human insulin, according to a new study. The proof-of-concept achievement could be scaled up to produce enough insulin for all diabetics requiring the life-maintaining drug.

An oral insulin that has proven effective at reducing blood glucose and avoiding hypoglycemia in mice, rats, and baboons is set for human clinical trials as soon as 2025. The researchers are hopeful the drug be available to all in a few years.

Researchers have used FDA-approved cancer drugs to regenerate pancreatic cells damaged by diabetes into cells that secrete insulin in response to glucose. The discovery could mean that one day, diabetics can avoid multiple daily insulin injections.

Researchers have created a slow-release ‘smart’ insulin that responds to blood glucose levels to provide week-long control with virtually no incidents of low blood sugar. The novel insulin opens the door to once-a-week insulin injections for diabetics.

Diabetes was the focus of much research in 2023, resulting in a few ‘world-firsts’. From trialing a diabetes-slowing tablet to using plant extracts and creepy crawlies to lower blood sugars, here are the top diabetes stories of the past year.

Scientists have discovered a new mechanism for how type 2 diabetes takes hold, and demonstrated in mice that blocking a particular enzyme could open a new avenue of treatment for the disease.

A world-first clinical trial has found that a drug commonly prescribed for rheumatoid arthritis preserved the pancreatic cells’ ability to produce insulin and slowed the progression of type 1 diabetes in those recently diagnosed with the condition.