A groundbreaking advancement in nanotechnology led by an international team, spearheaded by Australian researchers, promises a potential future where individuals with diabetes can administer insulin orally. This innovative system envisions insulin delivery through methods as simple as ingesting a tablet or incorporating it into a piece of chocolate.
The newly developed nano carrier, rigorously tested across mice, rats, and baboons, offers a promising solution to mitigate the side effects associated with insulin injections, notably hypoglycemia—an adverse event triggered by excessive insulin administration resulting in low blood sugar levels.
Critical animal studies have highlighted the nano-scale material’s remarkable ability to respond to fluctuations in blood sugar levels. Its specialized coating dissolves selectively, releasing insulin only when blood sugar concentrations are elevated, ensuring precise dosage without triggering insulin release during low blood sugar episodes.
The nano-scale material, one ten-thousandth the width of a human hair, functions akin to acid-resistant coatings on conventional tablets, shielding insulin molecules from degradation by stomach acid. However, this groundbreaking coating encapsulates individual insulin molecules, transforming into a “nano carrier,” facilitating their precise delivery to target sites within the body.
Published in Nature Nanotechnology, these findings mark a significant milestone in diabetes management, offering hope to the estimated 422 million individuals worldwide grappling with this condition, a staggering 75 million of whom rely on daily insulin injections. Alarmingly, diabetes claims around 1.5 million lives annually, underscoring the urgency of innovative therapeutic solutions.
Lead author Dr. Nicholas Hunt, from the University of Sydney, underscores the longstanding challenge in developing oral insulin formulations since the hormone’s discovery over a century ago. He emphasizes the critical role played by the nano carrier in enhancing insulin absorption in the gut, revolutionizing oral insulin delivery.
Preclinical trials in animal models have demonstrated the nano insulin’s efficacy in regulating blood glucose levels without triggering hypoglycemia or weight gain, with no observed toxicity. The anticipated commencement of human trials in 2025, led by the spin-out company Endo Axiom Pty Ltd, heralds a pivotal step toward translating this groundbreaking technology into clinical practice.
Endo Axiom Pty Ltd, founded by Professor Victoria Cogger, Professor David Le Couteur AO, and Dr. Nicholas Hunt, represents the culmination of two decades of intensive research and collaboration. Driven by a commitment to alleviating the economic, health, and well-being burden associated with diabetes management, their focus on oral insulin technology holds transformative potential for patients worldwide.
Professor Cogger, reflecting on her personal journey shaped by a family member’s type 1 diabetes diagnosis, underscores the project’s deeply personal significance. Her lived experience imbues the research endeavor with a profound sense of purpose, striving to enhance the quality of life for individuals grappling with diabetes through accessible oral insulin solutions.
