With 11.7 million Canadians either pre-diabetic or diabetic, the country’s diabetes rates are still rising. Researchers at UBC have developed a painless medication delivery system to make it easier for diabetics to control their condition and preserve their health.
The Li Lab’s research team has created oral insulin drops that, when ingested beneath the tongue, the body absorbs rapidly and effectively. This could eliminate the need for insulin injections altogether.
Insulin and a special cell-penetrating peptide (CPP) created by Dr. Shyh-Dar Li and associates are combined in the drops.
A Little assistance from a peptide guide
The peptide, which comes from byproducts of fish, creates a channel for insulin to pass through.
Pre-clinical experiments demonstrated that insulin that contains the peptide successfully enters the bloodstream, but insulin that does not contain the peptide gets lodged in the oral mucosa.
Consider it as a roadmap that enables insulin to swiftly enter the bloodstream by guiding it through a maze. Insulin may travel the optimum paths more easily because to this guide,” said Dr. Jiamin Wu, a postdoctoral researcher in the Li Lab.
Recent Journal of Controlled Release publications describe two variants of the peptide. The UBC group is in the process of licencing the technology to a business associate.
Taking prescription drugs as prescribed
The pancreas naturally produces insulin for healthy individuals to control blood sugar levels after meals. Patients with diabetes require external insulin since their bodies are unable to manufacture enough of it.
Patients with diabetes must check their blood sugar levels and take insulin as needed to lower it since uncontrolled blood sugar can be extremely hazardous. Although injections are the quickest way to deliver insulin to the bloodstream, patients usually require three to four injections daily, which may have a negative impact on their quality of life. It is difficult to follow this routine consistently, and over time, this can lead to serious problems such damage to the kidneys, eyes, and nerves, which could need limb amputations.
Although two inhalable insulin products—Exubera and Afrezza—were previously approved, their effects weren’t ideal and they were demonstrated to raise the chance of developing lung cancer. These goods are no longer available. Dr. Li wants to deliver insulin quickly, painlessly, and without causing any serious adverse effects. The danger of cross-contamination, needle pricks, unintentional infections, and improper disposal of contaminated needles is anticipated to decrease with the introduction of new needle-free technology.
Source:
University of British Columbia
Journal reference:
Wu, J., et al. (2024). Systemic delivery of proteins using novel peptides via the sublingual route. Journal of Controlled Release. doi.org/10.1016/j.jconrel.2024.02.042.