In the most recent research coming from the University of North Carolina Health Care, scientists have created a prototype for a diabetes insulin smart patch for those suffering this condition and needing extra dosage of the natural chemic that could prevent them from getting shots in the future.
Science Daily reports that researchers introduced the diabetes insulin smart patch in a recent study, published on the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) under the title "Microneedle-array patches loaded with hypoxia-sensitive vesicles provide fast glucose-responsive insulin delivery," after developing a gadget that quickly detects increases in a patient's blood sugar and then secretes the needed amount of insulin.
According to Yahoo! News, the diabetes insulin smart patch is currently in the experimental phase, having just gone through a set of successful lab animal testing; if it were to have the same effects on human subjects, the patch could offer diabetes patients a less painful and unpleasant alternative to insulin injections.
The Daily Mail reports that the diabetes insulin smart patch is about the size of a penny, and it's covered with over 100 needles the size of an eyelash, all of them so small they can't be felt to the touch.
When tested on rodents, it was found that the diabetes insulin smart patch could lower blood glucose in a mouse with type-1 diabetes for nine hours, a very appealing model for those diabetes patients that are bound to a daily routine of self-injecting insulin, which can be painful, unpleasant and damage the patient's skin tissue.
"We have designed a patch for diabetes that works fast, is easy to use, and is made from nontoxic, biocompatible materials," said co-senior author Zhen Gu about the next trial phase of the diabetes insulin smart patch. "The whole system can be personalized to account for a diabetic's weight and sensitivity to insulin, so we could make the smart patch even smarter."
