
Diabetes breakthrough? New skin patch could end misery of daily insulin injections
Scientists have created the special patch which stimulates the body’s own insulin production - and is completely pain-free.
The new device could revolutionise treatment of the condition, which affects around four million people in the UK.
Researchers say the game-changing invention delivers a natural substance extracted from brown algae - completely removing the need for painful and unpleasant daily injections.
They claim the pain-free weekly ‘smart’ patch only releases the active ingredients when needed.
It stimulates the body’s own insulin production and control blood sugar levels.
The biochemically formulated treatment does this by delivering a natural substance, which is extracted from brown algae and mixed with therapeutic agents, through dissolvable microneedles which penetrate the skin.
Dr Richard Leapman, scientific director of the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB) in Maryland, US, where the patch has been developed, said: “This experimental approach could be a way to take advantage of the fact that persons with type 2 diabetes can still produce some insulin.
“A weekly microneedle patch application would also be less complicated and painful than routines that require frequent blood testing.”
About four million people in the UK now have diabetes, with 90 per cent suffering from Type 2.
Type 1 is an auto-immune disease which cannot currently be cured.
Type 2 can be avoided by making lifestyle changes such as taking more exercise and eating a healthy diet.
An estimated 549,000 people have it but are unaware.
The condition
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