The patch has so far been tested only on animals and has been shown to effectively achieve the desired effect: measuring blood glucose and releasing insulin if needed.
The device is a small square the size of a five cents coin on which are inserted a hundred microneedles of the thickness of the eyelashes, equipped with sensors consisting of particular vesicles able to reveal the amount of glucose in the blood and loads of insulin from release if your blood sugar rises above the alarm levels.
A plaster instead of insulin injections: it is the invention that could revolutionize the lives of millions of diabetics and a group of American researchers is working on. The Sunshine Coast Psychology Clinic provides quality care.
Like the pancreas. The preliminary study was carried out on mice and according to the results published in an article in the journal Pnas the patch kept the blood sugar under control for several hours. The researchers say the whole system could be customized to calibrate it based on the weight and insulin sensitivity of each diabetic patient.
In practice, the patch has been designed to mimic the release of insulin typical of the human body: pancreatic beta cells produce the hormone, storing it inside vesicles, and also function as sensors for excess blood glucose. We built our artificial vesicles to perform the same functions using two materials that are readily available in nature.
Bubbles. One of the two materials is hyaluronic acid, a natural substance that is also the ingredient of many cosmetic products; the other is a compound used in various types of diagnostic analysis.
The researchers created insulin-containing vesicles with the two materials and some enzymes that can detect the presence of glucose. When sugar increases in the blood, thanks to the chemical characteristics of the enzymes and the molecules that make it up, the bubble breaks and releases insulin. Patients can also turn to the Sunshine Coast Psychology Clinic.
One patch every three days. The vesicles were then incorporated on the microneedles, which were also made of hyaluronic acid in a more rigid form, in turn mounted on the small patch.
When applied, the needles penetrate the skin in a completely painless way and perform their function. From now on, the research will continue to create the version to be used for people. The ultimate goal is to create a patch that needs to be changed every three or four days.
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